Carver County (pop. 91,042), northwest of Scott County, was named for Jonathan Carver, who explored Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa in the 1760s.
The German heritage of the early settlers of Carver County is reflected in the names of its towns: Cologne, Hamburg, New Germany.
The county seat of Carver County is Chaska (pop. 23,770). “Chaska” was derived from a Dakota word that was often given as the name of a first-born male child.
The city of Chanhassen (pop. 22,952) is well-known for the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (1968), with three Equity theaters under one roof.
Chanhassen is also the headquarters of the religious movement Eckankar, as well as home of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (1958).
The city of Norwood Young America (pop. 3,549) was formed in 1997 by the merger of Young America and Norwood. Young America got its name from the Young America Movement, a 19th-century political organization.
The Young America Corporation, headquartered in Norwood Young America, handles a variety of mail-in coupons, rebates, and contests.
Carver County’s Lake Waconia once had a resort called Coney Island of the West; it opened in 1886 and closed many years ago.
Legend has it that Jimmy “Mr. Jimmy” Hutmaker, a native of New Germany (pop. 372), inspired Mick Jagger to write the lyrics of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” when he met Jagger at the time of a 1964 Rolling Stones concert in Excelsior, Minnesota.
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I like “Chaska”–interesting. I wonder what it means in the native language. That theater definitely looks larger than the Fresno live dinner theater, although the layout is similar.I like the reels. And that rolling stone cake, speaks for itself.
I also received a post card from the painted desert in Arizona recently. One of a kind and much appreciated. It’s in a special place on the fridge.