# Chaska, Minnesota *City and county seat of Carver County, Minnesota* Chaska is a city in [[Carver County, Minnesota]] and the county's seat. It is an outer-ring suburb about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of [[Minneapolis]], and Wikipedia gives its population at the 2020 census as 27,810.[^1] The [[Carver County Historical Society]] records the name as a [[Dakota]] word meaning "first born son." It also records that Thomas Andrew Holmes claimed a twenty-acre clearing on the [[Minnesota River]] in 1851, the year the [[Treaty of Traverse des Sioux]] ended the period of Dakota dominance in the region.[^2] Brickmaking on local clay began in 1857.[^3] The National Register documentation form held by the Minnesota Department of Administration records Chaska-area output in 1918 at nearly 60 percent of Minnesota's total brick production.[^3] The [[Minnesota Historical Society]] states that more than two million Chaska bricks are in the basement of the [[Minnesota State Capitol]].[^4] In October 1970 a $21 million federal loan guarantee under Title IV of the New Communities Act backed [[Jonathan]], a planned community for 50,000 residents on 8,000 acres inside the city limits. The early-1970s recession, the death of its founder in 1972 and federal housing cutbacks in 1976 ended the project.[^5] The county historical society attributes the city's growth from about 2,000 residents in 1960 to 24,500 in 2014 "largely due to the Jonathan planned community development."[^2] Chaska also appears in federal criminal and grant records. The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced that a Chaska man pleaded guilty on January 30, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the [[Feeding Our Future]] prosecution. The prosecuting sovereign was the United States.[^6][^7] In fiscal year 2022 the [[Bureau of Justice Assistance]] awarded $750,000 to the Carver County Drug Court at 604 E. 4th St., Chaska.[^8] ## Who The Carver County Historical Society states that the Dakota "dominated the region from approximately 1750 until the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851."[^2] Wikipedia attributes the mounds in City Square to earlier Mound Builders. It also records a trading post that Jean-Baptiste Faribault established in the early nineteenth century.[^1] After Holmes's 1851 claim, the townsite, then spelled "Shaska," passed to David L. Fuller in 1852. The Shaska Company platted it in 1857.[^1] Jonathan was founded by former state senator Henry T. McKnight. The Ace Development Corporation was formed on April 29, 1966, and became the Jonathan Development Corporation in 1967.[^5] Wikipedia places the city in Minnesota's 6th congressional district, represented by [[Tom Emmer]] (Republican). As of June 2025 the city lies in [[Minnesota Senate]] district 48, held by Julie Coleman (Republican). It is split between [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] districts 48A, held by [[Jim Nash (politician)]] (Republican), and 48B, held by [[Lucy Rehm]] (DFL).[^1] Donald Trump carried the city by three points in 2016. Joe Biden carried it by nine points in 2020, on higher turnout.[^1] ## What The Chaska brick documentation form gives the industry's operating period as 1857–1961, with a peak era of 1880–1920. MNopedia, by contrast, dates the closing of the last brickyard to 1971.[^3][^4] MNopedia states that the term "Chaska brick" first appears in an 1894 *Chaska Herald* article. It attributes the brick's creamy color to deep alluvial clay, a yellow layer over blue.[^4] After Minnesota's first sugar-beet factory, at St. Louis Park, burned in May 1905, Chaska was chosen as its replacement. The Carver County Sugar Company announced its investment in September 1905, construction began that November, and the factory opened on October 18, 1906.[^9] The [[Brinkhaus Saloon and Livery Barn]] was built in 1872 by Herman Brinkhaus (1831–1903), an immigrant from Coesfeld, Germany. A livery stable was added in 1875, and the wood frame was replaced with Chaska brick in the 1890s after a fire. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1980 (ref. 80001962) as "a rare and extremely well-preserved example of one of Chaska's vanished businesses." The City of Chaska bought it in 2003 and spent more than $500,000 on renovations between 2003 and 2012.[^10] The county historical society's National Register list also includes the Chaska Walnut Street Historic District. Its buildings include the DuToit House, of "cream-colored Chaska brick built ca. 1870."[^11] The [[Landscape Arboretum]] of the [[University of Minnesota]] occupies 1,200 acres in Chaska. MNopedia traces the institution from the 1907 Horticultural Research Center, through the Arboretum's founding in 1958, to an administrative merger in 1987.[^12][^13] The Horticultural Research Center produced the Honeycrisp apple.[^13] From 2004 the city government ran a low-cost wireless internet service, Chaska.net. The city ended the service in 2015, citing a shrinking customer base and the cost of upgrading equipment.[^1] In the Feeding Our Future case, the Justice Department release states that the sites at issue obtained approximately $1.3 million and that the defendant personally retained approximately $52,388. The release also states that invoices were submitted "falsely claiming to be feeding supper and snack to 1,500 children every day."[^6][^7] The drug-court grant is award 15PBJA-22-GG-03955-DGCT, an FY22 Adult Drug Court Discretionary Category 2 Enhancement Grant. Its key personnel are Hon. Michael Wentzell and Andrew Lynes. Its stated purpose is to "increase capacity to serve an expanded network of individuals." The court's prior Implementation Grant was projected to end on September 30, 2022.[^8] ## When - **March 1855**: Carver County is organized, "named in honor of the explorer, Jonathan Carver" ([[Jonathan Carver]]). [[San Francisco Township]] is the first county seat until "voters moved it to Chaska in 1856."[^14][^15] San Francisco had been founded in 1854 by William Foster. It lost the county seat to Chaska in 1856 and survived about ten years.[^16][^17] - **1857**: Chaska is one of five school districts in the county, which have a combined budget of $788.[^18] - **1858**: Guardian Angels Catholic School opens in Chaska; St. John's Lutheran School follows in 1886.[^19] The Moravian Church and Guardian Angels Catholic Church date from 1858, and St. John's Lutheran Church from 1884.[^2] - **1871 and 1891**: Chaska is incorporated as a village in 1871 and as a city, by special legislative charter, in 1891.[^1] - **April 12, 1965**: The Minnesota River crests at 34.25 feet at Chaska, exceeding the 1952 record of 29.1 feet.[^20] - **1986**: Chaska, Chanhassen and Eden Prairie opt out of the [[Metropolitan Transit Commission]] under state statute and form a joint powers board, SouthWest Transit.[^21][^22] - **2005–2006**: Wikipedia's lead states that the city merged with [[Chaska Township]] in 2006. Its demographics section states that the city annexed the remaining portion of the township in early 2005.[^1] ## Where The city covers 17.77 square miles, according to the [[United States Census Bureau]] figures reported by Wikipedia. Of that area, 16.97 square miles is land and 0.80 square miles is water, and the downtown sits on the Minnesota River.[^1] The Arboretum is at 3675 Arboretum Drive.[^13] Chaska lies within [[Eastern Carver County Schools]] (Independent School District 112), and all of the district's middle schools are in the city.[^1] ## Why The record shows a sequence of events. A federal guarantee was issued in 1970, and the Jonathan project had failed by 1976.[^5] The population grew from about 2,000 in 1960 to 24,500 in 2014, and the county historical society attributes that growth largely to Jonathan.[^2] Wikipedia separately credits a later population increase to the U.S. Highway 212 freeway through the city.[^1] The record does not establish how much of the growth each factor produced. ## How Chaska uses the council–manager form of government. Four council members, each representing a ward of about a quarter of the population, serve four-year terms, and the mayor is elected at large for a two-year term. In 2019 the mayor was Mark Windschitl.[^1] The brick industry used alluvial clay mixed with sand and finely ground silica, which MNopedia says gives the brick a faint sparkle.[^4] ## How much - **Jonathan**: a $21 million federal loan guarantee in October 1970.[^5] - **Sugar factory**: newspapers reported in 1905 that "if the company invested $750,000 in its sugar-beet factory, over half of that amount would be paid out to farmers for harvesting beets."[^9] - **Brinkhaus restoration**: more than $500,000 between 2003 and 2012.[^10] - **Drug court**: a $750,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance award in fiscal year 2022.[^8] - **Feeding Our Future case**: approximately $1.3 million obtained by the sites, and approximately $52,388 retained by the defendant, according to the release.[^6] - **1965 flood**: approximately $400,000 in highway damage.[^20] ## How many - **Population**: about 2,000 in 1960 and 24,500 in 2014, according to the county historical society.[^2] Wikipedia gives 27,810 at the 2020 census.[^1] - **German heritage**: the documentation form records that in 1860, 78.85 percent of Chaska Township's population was German-born or of German heritage.[^3] - **Brick output in the nineteenth century**: J.W. Gregg and Company made 500,000 bricks a year in 1863. In 1873, 75 men across three yards made 90,000 to 100,000 bricks a day.[^3] - **Brickyards in 1900**: six brickyards employed about 600 workers, 20 percent of Chaska's population.[^4] - **Brick output in 1907**: the documentation form gives 40 to 60 million bricks a year and 30 percent of statewide output. MNopedia gives more than 40 million bricks and about 30 percent of Minnesota's supply.[^3][^4] - **1965 flood**: in Chaska, 242 homes were damaged and 14 commercial buildings destroyed. In Carver, 57 homes were heavily damaged and 20 businesses destroyed.[^20] ## In the at-issue record The project's Carver package carries five at-issue pairs that name Chaska. Each is set beside a federal anchor document. - **AI-Carver-031 (Block B)**: This pair sets the city's Dakota name beside its 1851 settlement date, the year the treaty opened the land. The county historical society documents both facts.[^2] The anchor is the January 2025 presidential action *Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity*.[^23] - **AI-Carver-037 (Block B)**: This pair covers the brick figures: 40 to 60 million bricks a year by 1907, nearly 60 percent of state production in 1918, and more than two million bricks in the Capitol basement.[^3][^4] The pair places these figures before a state disloyalty inquiry into the county, which this pack does not itself document. Its anchor is the same presidential action.[^23] - **AI-Carver-050 (Block C)**: This pair sets the city's 2003 purchase and restoration of the Brinkhaus building beside the loss of the businesses it was listed to represent.[^10] Its anchor is the same presidential action.[^23] - **AI-Carver-051 (Block C)**: This pair reports as unverified the claim that Chaska was a prominent pre-Prohibition brewing town. The Minnesota Historical Society's brewery research guide lists no Carver County brewery among its collections.[^24] The Chaska brick documentation form mentions no brewery.[^3] Of the area's breweries, only the [[Waconia Brewery]] is confirmed by an archival-grade source. The anchor is the March 2025 presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos*.[^25] - **AI-Carver-074 (Block D)**: This pair covers the 1970 federal guarantee for Jonathan and the project's failure. It sets the plan for 50,000 residents beside the city's actual 2014 population of 24,500.[^5][^2] The anchor is the March 2025 presidential action *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse*.[^26] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Chaska, Minnesota* (revision 1374232178, retrieved 27 October 2026) — location, 2020 population, townsite history, incorporation, area, government, representation, elections, Chaska.net, schools. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaska,_Minnesota [^2]: Carver County Historical Society, *Chaska* — Dakota dominance c. 1750–1851; Holmes's 1851 claim; name meaning "first born son"; churches of 1858 and 1884; population of about 2,000 (1960) and 24,500 (2014) attributed to Jonathan. https://www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org/chaska.php [^3]: Minnesota Department of Administration / State Historic Preservation Office, *Chaska Brick Resources* National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form — operating period 1857–1961; 1860 German-heritage shares; 1863 and 1873 output; 1907 output of 40–60 million and 30 percent; 1918 output nearly 60 percent; no brewery listed. https://mn.gov/admin/assets/Chaska%20Brick%20Resources%20MPDF_tcm36-445033.pdf [^4]: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, *Chaska Brick Industry, 1857–1950* — 1894 first use of the term; clay composition; six brickyards and about 600 workers in 1900; more than 40 million bricks and about 30 percent in 1907; more than two million bricks in the Capitol basement; last yard closed 1971. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/group/chaska-brick-industry-1857-1950 [^5]: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, *Jonathan (planned community)* — McKnight as founder; Ace Development Corporation formed April 29, 1966, renamed 1967; $21 million Title IV guarantee in October 1970; 8,000 acres; 50,000 planned residents; ended by recession, 1972 death and 1976 cutbacks. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/place/planned-community-jonathan [^6]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Chaska Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme* — guilty plea January 30, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; approximately $1.3 million obtained; approximately $52,388 retained; 1,500-children invoices. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/chaska-man-pleads-guilty-his-role-250-million-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme [^7]: IRS Criminal Investigation, *Chaska Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme* — the same plea announcement. https://irs.gov/zh-hans/compliance/criminal-investigation/chaska-man-pleads-guilty-for-his-role-in-250-million-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme [^8]: Bureau of Justice Assistance, *Award 15PBJA-22-GG-03955-DGCT* (FY2022) — $750,000 to Carver County Drug Court, 604 E. 4th St., Chaska; key personnel; stated purpose; prior grant ending September 30, 2022. https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/15pbja-22-gg-03955-dgct [^9]: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, *American Crystal Sugar factory, Chaska* — 1905 selection and investment announcement; $750,000 newspaper report; opening October 18, 1906. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/structure/american-crystal-sugar-factory-chaska [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Brinkhaus Saloon Livery Barn (Chaska, Minnesota)* — built 1872 by Herman Brinkhaus; listed January 4, 1980, ref. 80001962; National Register description; city purchase in 2003; more than $500,000 in renovations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinkhaus_Saloon_Livery_Barn_(Chaska,_Minnesota [^11]: Carver County Historical Society, *National Register properties in Carver County* (current as of October 2014) — Chaska Walnut Street Historic District and DuToit House. https://www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org/national_register_cc.php [^12]: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, *University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum* — 1907, 1958 and 1987 institutional chain. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/place/university-minnesota-landscape-arboretum [^13]: Wikipedia contributors, *University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum* — address at 3675 Arboretum Drive; 1,200 acres; Honeycrisp apple. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Minnesota_Landscape_Arboretum [^14]: Carver County Historical Society, *Carver County Driving Tour* — county organized March 1855; San Francisco Township as first seat; "voters moved it to Chaska in 1856." https://www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org/pdfs/CarverCountyDrivingTour.pdf [^15]: Minnesota Historical