Scott County (pop. 129,928) is in the southwestern part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area. It’s bordered by the Minnesota River on the north and west.
Scott County was named for Gen. Winfield Scott (1786-1866), hero of the Mexican War and Whig candidate for president in 1852.
At 6’5″, the tallest presidential nominee ever
The county seat of Scott County is Shakopee (pop. 37,076), the site of Minnesota’s largest amusement park – Valleyfair, which opened in 1976.
Eight roller coasters
Canterbury Park is also in Shakopee. Canterbury Park, which opened in 1985, has horse racing from May to September.
And ostrich races on Extreme Race Day
In nearby Prior Lake (pop. 22,796), the Shakopee-Mdewakanton Sioux Community operates the Mystic Lake Casino and Little Six Casino.
An 8,000-seat outdoor amphitheater opened in 2011.
The city of Elko New Market (pop. 4,110) was formed in 2006 by the merger of the towns of Elko and New Market.
The Elko Speedway is a 3/8-mile asphalt oval track.
The city of New Prague (pop. 7,321) has the Church of St. Wenceslaus, built in 1907 by Czech immigrants.
Named for the duke of Bohemia
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Shakopee, as I remember it, had a distinctive large, not very tall, water tower. As a child I prided myself for knowing the town’s name when we passed it on our way North.