Our History

Chanhassen’s development from a quiet town to a prosperous suburb of the Twin Cities has been dramatic in the past few years.

Chanhassen was one of the earliest settlements in Carver County, but it grew at one of the slowest rates until the late 1960’s. Until that time, farming was the leading industry.

Early settlers arrived during the 1850s to stake out farms. The records show that the first claim settled in Chanhassen Township was in June 1852 by Joseph Vogel, west of Rice Lake, and near the Shakopee Station. Vogel was a German and had lived in St. Paul before coming to this area.

In August 1852, Joseph Kessler, another German, followed Vogel and settled four miles northwest of him. The families became good friends, and in July 1854 Joseph Vogel married Kessler’s sister Veronica. It was reportedly the first marriage of a white couple in Carver County.

In 1853 when the Indian land title ended, settlers came in considerable numbers. It is believed that Clarissa Cleaveland selected the name “Chanhassen” (originally spelled Chanhassan) for the town, which is the Dakota (Sioux) name meaning “the tree with sweet sap” or sugar maple tree.

During Chanhassen’s first town meeting held May 17, 1858, at the county’s first school house, the name Chanhassen was officially adopted. Other business at the meeting included the election of township officers; a vote to raise $200 for town expenses; and a law that all animals except swine would be allowed to run loose between April 1 and November 1. A year later, they freed the swine also.

After the Civil War in 1865, the Rev. Magnus Mayr formally organized a parish of German Catholics under the title of St. Hubert Church, which up to then was only a mission station. A small log house was built to serve the parish on land donated by Henry Pauly Sr., the same site where the historic church stands today. Once the church was built, the parishioners established a school, and St. Hubert’s became a focal point for many of the surrounding settlers.

The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad also drew more settlers to the little town, and in 1896 the Village of Chanhassen was incorporated. Pauly’s General Store became the main store in the village, and a saloon, feed store, lumber yard, and the State Bank of Chanhassen also became established.

Chanhassen’s population and businesses grew slowly for several decades. During the 1960s, Chanhassen’s first mini-mall was built to house a drug store, grocery store, hardware store, and a restaurant and was located at the corner of Great Plains Boulevard and West 78th Street. In 1967, the present City of Chanhassen was formed by a merger of the village and surrounding township; the population increased to 4,200.

That same decade, a home-builder named Herb Bloomberg moved his business to Chanhassen and opened a lumber and hardware store to provide him with specialty wood products. He became interested in the theater business, having built the Old Log Theatre in Excelsior, and opened his own 600-seat theater in Chanhassen in October 1968, combining dining and entertainment to create the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Today, under new ownership, the theatres attract annual audiences of more than 300,000, as well as theater professionals from all over the world.

In the late 1970’s, Chanhassen embarked on a redevelopment plan for its downtown and industrial parks. Today, our thriving businesses include a variety of commercial and industrial companies. Downtown Chanhassen offers shopping, eating, and entertainment. Currently, over 500 businesses call Chanhassen home and they employ over 8,500 people. Chanhassen’s main industries include: printing, financial services, medical products, engineering, food production, and high-tech manufacturing.That same decade, a home-builder named Herb Bloomberg moved his business to Chanhassen and opened a lumber and hardware store to provide him with specialty wood products. He became interested in the theater business, having built the Old Log Theatre in Excelsior, and opened his own 600-seat theater in Chanhassen in October 1968, combining dining and entertainment to create the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Today, under new ownership, the theatres attract annual audiences of more than 300,000, as well as theater professionals from all over the world.

With a population of over 20,000, Chanhassen has 14,427 acres in 24-square miles. Most of the city is located within Carver County; however, 154 acres in eastern Chanhassen are located in Hennepin County. There are 11 beautiful lakes that are wholly or partially located in Chanhassen. Chanhassen’s 500-acre park system features community parks, nature preserves, and many neighborhood parks scattered around the community.

Somehow, the words of the Rev. H. M. Nichols, written in 1855, still have significance today: “Two years ago, Chanhassen was nowhere. Now, there is hardly a vacant claim left in the township. The settlers are far above average of new settlements, in respectability, morality, and intelligence; and rarely can a pleasanter or more desirable community be found, than that now settled in Chanhassen.”

The worst tornadoes in Twin Cities history occurred on May 6, 1965, with five tornadoes sweeping across the western and northern portions of the seven-county region, and a sixth tornado just outside the metropolitan area. Four tornadoes were rated F4, one was an F3, and the other produced F2 damage. Thirteen people were killed and 683 were injured. Many more would have been killed had it not been for the warnings of the U.S. Weather Bureau, local officials, and the communications by local radio and television stations. Many credit the announcers of WCCO-AM Radio with saving countless lives. It was also the first time in Twin Cities history that civil defense sirens were used for severe weather.

Chanhassen was fortunate that night. A tornado touched down at 6:27 pm near Lake Susan and traveled 7 miles on the ground north to Deephaven. It was rated F4, but no one was injured or killed. Other areas of the Twin Cities were not as fortunate.

Memories from Residents

The following is an excerpt from Chanhassen: A Centennial History Book. If you find this story interesting, you may wish to purchase a copy of the history book at City Hall for $10.

Herb Bloomberg

Where were you on the evening of May 6, 1965? Herb Bloomberg remembers standing at the window when it looked as if the water from Lotus Lake had taken to the air. He called Adolph Tessness. Tessness had worse luck. His house was gone.

Joe Hedtke and Tom O'Laughlin

At Jerry's Bar, Joe Hedtke, the bartender, was coming in for the evening shift when he spotted the funnel cloud. He ran in the door, shouting, "Everyone downstairs! There's a tornado coming!" Tom O'Laughlin, the daytime bartender said, 'When I saw Joe running downstairs, I figured he was serious and dashed after him." The customers grabbed their beers and ran to the basement. It missed the bar but all the lights were out. Across the street the tornado ripped through Jerry Schlenk's gas station, ripping out the rear wall. Six homes were destroyed and ten more were severely damaged. Much of the Frontier Center was destroyed with lumber strewn like Pick-Up-Sticks.

Gwen Pearson

Gwen Pearson remembered, "I cooked a chicken dinner and was getting ready to put it on the table when it started hailing outside big as golf balls. After it stopped, the children wanted to go out and collect them. While we were out in the yard, I saw these big black clouds in the south, then saw the funnel cloud. I hurried the children into the southwest corner of the basement and then waited. Then we heard it. It was a very loud roar and we could hear glass flying upstairs. The basement windows blew out above us. Then it was quiet again. We went upstairs and all we saw was blue sky. The piano is almost ready to fall out of the house and there's a lawn chair way up in a tree. It was real freakish. The goldfish are still swimming around in the bowl back there in the southwest corner bedroom--the only room in the house that wasn't damaged."

Rita Rojina

Rita Rojina was downstairs ironing. "You could see it over the trees. It circled and was hitting Lotus Lake and then jumping over to Christmas Lake. I spent the next three hours in the basement under a table."

Ron Roeser

A block away, Ron Roeser heard his children shouting. "The kids were outside and they said something. I could hear this in the distance and I was looking right out this window. There were sparks flying and there was dirt flying and I was watching the Mileage Station blow away. We ran outside and we could hear this roaring and see this huge black cloud moving towards Lotus Lake. It took Adolph's house out completely. The National Guard came out and blocked off streets."

It hit the Klingelhutz farm south of town. Roeser recalled, "They looked out the window and it was pitch black and he got all of the kids in the basement and they heard this tremendous crash and part of the barn flew into the house and kicked the cupboards just off the wall. They had a really close call."

Miraculously, no one was seriously injured.

Share Your Story

If you have stories or photos about this event, please contact City Hall at (952) 227-1100. We would welcome the opportunity to speak to you and scan your photos. 

Resources

• National Weather Service Article

The Chanhassen Centennial Quilt was created in 1996 in celebration of our centennial. Thirty local women spent five months working on this beautiful piece of art.

The first step was to figure out what should be included on the quilt. This was accomplished in two “brainstorming” sessions where everyone recollected people, places, and things that reminded them of Chanhassen. Over the next two months, the women took those ideas and created them in fabric. Audree Sells, a nationally known quilter and artist from Chaska, then took all the pieces and designed the quilt-top. Once the top piece was sewn together, it took volunteers 262 hours to hand quilt the piece.

The quilt includes some of the older homes in Chanhassen; for example the Joseph Vogel home that is now the Bluff Creek Inn and Governor Lind’s summer home that is on Camp Tanadoona property. Also represented are old St. Hubert’s Church, the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, the Arboretum, Schutrop’s Feed Mill, and the old train depot. The upper portion of the quilt is dedicated to farming, which represents the role agriculture has played in Chanhassen’s history.

The quilt is on display at City Hall.

Chanhassen: A Centennial History

The book, “Chanhassen: A Centennial History” was written by Daniel J. Hoisington, a writer and historian, in 1996 in celebration of our Centennial. This book, the first complete history of the city, relates the fascinating people and events that shaped the town. Based on primary sources, oral history interviews, and private family collections, the book tells the story of a community and its people.

Some of the families included in the book are the Aldritts, Leachs, Cordells, Bennetts, Dimlers, Rev. Galpin, Kelms, Kerbers, Kesslers, Klingelhutzs, Kurvers, Lymans, Livingstons, Meuwissens, Notermanns, Paulys, Powers, Roesers, Schneiders, Schroeders, Sinnens, Vogels, and Wilsons - just to name a few.

Readers will learn about:

• Clara Judd, the minister’s wife who was arrested as a Confederate spy.
• Elmer Kelm, the small town banker who founded the Democratic - Farmer-Labor Party.
• George Buschkowsky, the mayor and only Lutheran in the village of Catholics.
• John Geiser, one of Minnesota’s greatest church builders.
• Mudcura Sanitarium, where thousands came to bake in Chanhassen mud.
• The Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, how the nationally known institution got its start.
• The Harvest Chicken Dinner, the biggest event of the year.
• The Red Birds, Chanhassen’s own baseball team.

The book is illustrated with scores of photographs from family collections that have never before been made public. This centennial history is more than just a list of dates; it is a study about how a town can shape its destiny.