Carver. A lively and promising incorporated village of 800 souls, at the intersection of the H. & D. and M. & St. L. railroads, in the southeastern part of Carver county, 1 ½ miles from Chaska, the county seat, and 34 miles from St. Paul. It is also located at the head of the navigable water of Minnesota river, and on Carver creek, the latter driving a flouring mill here. Contains a wool carding and a grist mill, 2 hotels, a newspaper, the Carver county Free Press, numerous stores and a full complement of artisans. Exports wheat, barley, hogs, cattle and brick. Churches, 1 Methodist, 2 Lutheran, and 1 Catholic; a district and a Catholic school. Telegraph, Northwestern. Express, American and United States. Stage to Waconia tri-weekly, and to East Union and Watertown semi weekly. Mail, three times daily. (Minnesota State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1878-9, Volume 1, R. L. Polk & Co., and A. C. Danser, Detroit, Michigan, Page 103)
Page 367. Carver is located in the eastern part of the
Page 368. county on the Minnesota river, and since 1877 has ceased to be a town and is wholly included under the village corporation. When the towns of the county were first formed, in 1858, Carver was organized, a long, narrow town, extending with an irregular boundary west across and including a large portion of what is now Dahlgren. One year later its territory was enlarged by the addition of four sections taken from Chaska. The name Carver was given to the town by suggestion of Governor Ramsey, in honor of the distinguished explorer whose history is found in this volume. The village of Carver was first surveyed in February, 1857 by J. S. Halsted on land owned by the town site company previously enumerated. The original site embraced about 415 acres. The plat was filed for record June 5, 1857. February 17, 1877, the village was incorporated…
Page 369. There are three physicians, one lawyer, one real estate and loan office, one flour mill, one elevator, six general stores, one carding and feed mill, two drug stores, two brick yards, two hardware stores, two lumber yards with other business, two farm machinery dealers, one grocery, one brewery, two watch-makers, two carriage makers, one meat market, one photographer, two harness makers, one tailor, one veterinary surgeon, two boot and shoe makers, one milliner, one bakery, five saloons and two hotels. (History of the Minnesota Valley, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Rev. Edward D. Neill, North Star Publishing Company, Minneapolis, 1882)