Month: January 2026

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 31, 1901 Scott County Argus

The south room of the first floor of the Argus block has been divided into two stores. The north room has been rented to Mrs. Gleason, who comes from St. Paul, where she has been engaged in the wholesale millinery stores for three months past, for a dressmaking and millinery establishment.

125 Years Ago: From the Feb. 1, 1901 Shakopee Tribune

Frank Helmuth of Bloomington has leased the portion of the Argus block adjacent to the alley on the south, and will open a new butcher shop there about the first of April. The place is new and will be very handsomely fitted up as a salesroom, a new building at the rear, to be built, furnishing a detached place for rendering, cooking and the like. Mr. Helmuth is no stranger to the townspeople of whom he is soon to become a business associate, and he will start out with many warm friendships as a further incentive to his good business ability, all of which augurs well for his success in his new enterprise. He will remove here from Bloomington as soon as he can find a suitable dwelling house, and that he will be gladly welcomed as a citizen goes without saying.

100 Years Ago: From the Feb. 5, 1926 Shakopee Argus

Arthur Pass and August Krueger who have been conducting the Brunswick Music Shoppe in the John Berens block have decided to discontinue their business. Ed V. Mertz has rented their rooms and will open an insurance office this week.

100 Years Ago: From the Feb. 4, 1926 Shakopee Tribune

Brother and Sister Meet with Similar Accident

Last Saturday night Fred Kopp had the misfortune of breaking his collar bone while cranking his automobile.

His sister Mrs. Ed Dressen started to substitute in his place in carrying the mail on route 4 Monday morning, at which time she broke her right arm in two places while cranking another car which she was to use on the route. Mrs. Dressen parked her car in the usual parking place north of the postoffice and made on the day’s mail and was ready to start on the route when she attempted to crank the car and met with the accident.

William Krupp is now substituting on the rural route and will continue in this capacity until Fred has recovered sufficiently so that he can again resume his duties.

75 Years Ago: From the Feb. 1, 1951 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Shakopee School Picked for Student Guidance Sessions

Shakopee high school has been selected by the State Department of Education as the host school for the first of a series of 22 guidance conferences “for the purpose of considering ways and means of improving and expanding needed guidance services in all Minnesota schools.”

The initial conference is to be held here Tuesday, Feb. 6, Al N. Wurst, superintendent, announced. More than 26 seniors in the area are expected to send representatives to the sessions which are to get under way at 9 a.m…

75 Years Ago: From the Feb. 1, 1951 Shakopee Valley News

Name Don Miles As Chief Deputy

Don Miles has been appointed chief deputy sheriff of Scott county and will assume his duties today, W. B. Schroeder, sheriff, announced this week…

At the same time he announced that he and Miles will be uniformed. The new uniform for the sheriff and deputies is forest green in color making them readily identified as officers at accidents and other places when engaged in police work…

50 Years Ago: From the Feb. 4, 1976 Shakopee Valley News

New junior high school open

Classes began Monday at the new Shakopee Junior High school in Shakopee.

A split-level three floor design, the building houses 600 junior high school students from Shakopee School District 720. For the past three and a half years the students attended split-shift classes at the Shakopee Senior High School.

Designed for future area growth and program sharing with the Shakopee Area Catholic Schools, the 135,000 square foot facility can handle 900 full-time students…

25 Years Ago: From the Feb. 1, 2001 Shakopee Valley News

Group envisions arts center in park

The idea of transforming Huber Park into something besides an underused patch of floodplain in downtown Shakopee didn’t die with the failure of a city bond referendum two years ago. A group of business people still hopes to one day create a performing arts area that will be the centerpiece of a fully developed downtown park…

Vision Shakopee, an effort to plan the future of the city by a group of community members, wants to see a performing arts facility similar to the one the city of Eden Prairie built in Staring Lake Park in 1989 and expanded in 1992…

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150 Years Ago: From the Jan. 27, 1876 Shakopee Argus

NOTICE.—The Grammar Department of School District No. 41 can accommodate a few outside pupils. The charges are $1.00 per month, payable strictly in advance. Apply for admission to Peter Yost, Director, or to Chas. Bornarth, Clerk.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 24, 1901 Scott County Argus

Robert Iten and family will remove the latter part of this week to Arlington, where Mr. Iten expects to go into business. He will open up a “racket” store. Mr. and Mrs. Iten and family came here from LeSueur about four years ago when the Segelbaum store was established and during their residence here have made many friends who will regret their departure.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 25, 1901 Shakopee Tribune

The question of renting the second floor of the south half of the new building erected by Henry Hinds for a hall seems to have been decided in the affirmative by the three societies which are to enter into a five year lease, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the A. O. U. W., and the M. W. A. They will contract to pay $180 a year jointly, and will have the right of subletting for parties, lectures, hops and the like, by which means they hope to make up a good part of the rent. The hall will be furnished in elegant style for lodge purposes, with cloakroom, anteroom and banquet room apart from the main hall, and the furnishings will be of the best, including stations, cabinets, easy chairs and carpet strips which can be readily removed.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 29, 1926 Shakopee Argus

Siebenaler Bros began cutting ice on the river Monday and report it of good quality, about 18 inches thick.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 28, 1926 Shakopee Tribune

Blue Print of New Bridge at Strunk’s Drug Store

Blue prints of the proposed new bridge across the river at Holmes street are completed and one of them has been left at Strunk’s Drug Store so that local people who wish may see it.

The bridge, as shown in the blue print, will be a massive structure. It is to be constructed of steel and concrete and will be 780 feet long with a 27 foot driveway. The blue print shows a 1.5% grade down going north across the river. It also shows that a stairway is to be constructed near the north end of the bridge leading down to the park. The bridge will be 20 feet above the mill spur track.

A 5 ½ foot pedestrian’s walk will be built on each side of the bridge.

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 25, 1951 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Vote Asked on Abolishing Local Police Commission

A petition railing for a vote on the abolition of the police commission which has been in existence here since Dec. 1, 1948, is being circulated throughout the city it was learned this week…

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 25, 1951 Shakopee Valley News

New High School Getting Attention

With the Shakopee high school addition rapidly nearing completion, the new structure is attracting wide attention in this area, Supt. Al Wurst reports. Schoolmen and school board members of neighboring communities have been visiting the school in an ever increasing stream. In the past week, visitors included the Rosemount school board and Supt. Lambert Baumgartner; Supt. Joseph Brula of Jordan; and Supt. Hubert Olson of Bloomington.

50 Years Ago: From the Jan. 28, 1976 Shakopee Valley News

Plastercraft Artisan opens

Jim McCleary, Excelsior, has opened Plastercraft Artisan on East First Avenue, just two doors east of the Holmes Street intersection.

25 Years Ago: From the Jan. 25, 2001 Shakopee Valley News

Delay in construction of library will save money

A shift in the schedule that pushes weather-sensitive construction work to spring 2002 means Shakopee’s public library won’t likely open until May 2003 rather than in late 2002. But the delay is expected to save the city approximately $40,000 in construction costs…

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150 Years Ago: From the Jan. 20, 1876 Shakopee Argus

The Old Settlers of Shakopee are bound to keep alive the memory of the past. Extensive preparations are being made for their second Annual Re-union and Banquet on Tuesday evening next. The business meeting, annual address and banquet will take place in the evening. The committee desire that provisions should be sent to the Hall in the forenoon, or as early in the afternoon as possible.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 17, 1901 Scott County Argus

F. B. Chapman, the photographer, whose gallery has been closed for several weeks while he was on a business trip to the East, returned last week. He was since called to the deathbed of his father at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he is at present. He will reopen his gallery here as soon as he returns.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 18, 1901 Shakopee Tribune

Leo Scherkenbach has severed his connection with P. J. Schwartz’s store.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 22, 1926 Shakopee Argus

Blue Print of New Bridge Here

The blue print of the proposed new bridge across the river at Holmes street has been completed and is now at Strunk’s drug store.

The bridge will be 800 feet in length.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 21, 1926 Shakopee Tribune

Plenty of Opportunity to Hear Shakopee Program

Local people and those residing within driving distance of the city of Shakopee will have ample opportunity to listen in on the Shakopee program next Saturday evening.

At this writing we have been informed by the following firms that they have arranged to receive the Shakopee program to be broadcast over WCCO next Saturday evening, between 8:15 and 9:15. All of them will be glad to have those wishing to hear the program, listen in as their guests—The Gem theater motion picture show, W. F. Davy Co., Scherkenbach Hardware and Electric Supply, Shakopee Drug Co., M. Rosen and J. W. Oldenburg.

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 18, 1951 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Opens Law Office

J. J. Moriarty, former Eighth district Judge, has opened law offices in the post office building in Chaska, it was learned. The office suite was recently completed by Florian Eder who owns the building.

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 18, 1951 Shakopee Valley News

Postal Receipts At Record High

Postal receipts at the Shakopee post office for 1950 were the highest in history, Mrs. Michael L. Regan, acting postmaster, disclosed yesterday.

Receipts for the calendar year amounted to $25,403.92, a gain of $2,297.71 over the 1949 figure of $23,106.21…

50 Years Ago: From the Jan. 21, 1976 Shakopee Valley News

“Medley of problems” include courthouse telephones, carpet

A committee to study the problem of how many telephones and lines should be put into the new county courthouse was set up at yesterday’s Scott County board meeting.

The committee will include Commissioners Dennis Hron and Marvin Oldenburg and county administrator Joseph Ries.

Establishment of the committee was the result of more heated discussion arising out of a request for more telephone stations in the courthouse than was set out in contract specifications…

25 Years Ago: From the Jan. 18, 2001 Shakopee Valley News

Fire hits Murphy’s Landing

Main building destroyed, but other historic structures saved

Fire destroyed the main building, including offices and six apartments, at Murphy’s Landing in Shakopee early Wednesday morning. There were no serious injuries reported and none of the site’s historic buildings were damaged. The fire was declared under control about 8:45 a.m.

Firefighters from Shakopee and eight other area departments fought the blaze. They were hampered by a lack of water on the site. The blaze also caused a traffic problem, after authorities closed County Road 101. The eastbound lanes were reopened about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday…

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150 Years Ago: From the Jan. 13, 1876 Shakopee Argus

Rev. Mr. Burt, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, will address the citizens of Shakopee to-morrow (Friday evening) at the White School House, (District No. One) on the subject of Popular Education. As all are interested in this important subject, let every one that can turn out, and thus gain valuable information.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 10, 1901 Scott County Argus

This office is indebted to John P. Ring for a calendar of the Hamm Brewing company. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful and most expensive calendars that has been sent out in this state.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 11, 1901 Shakopee Tribune

A carload of 60,000 pounds of broken glass was shipped last week from the Jacob Ries Bottling work to the bottle factory of Streetur, Ill. During the year a big bin in the yard receives the broken and nicked bottles, and this is handled like coal when the time comes to ship it to the factory for re-melting.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 15, 1926 Shakopee Argus

Frank Koelzer of the Redman Ice Cream Company spent last week in Minneapolis, learning the fine points of installing an iceless cabinet at a special school which teaches the process to interested dealers. The latter were entertained Friday evening at a banquet at Hotel Nicollet and Mr. Koelzer was among the guests.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 14, 1926 Shakopee Tribune

Petition for White Way Presented to Council

The committee representing the Shakopee Commercial club circulated a petition during the past week among the property owners in the district in which the proposed new White Way is to be installed.

The committee met with gratifying success as the owners of more than 70% of the property in this district have already affixed their signatures to this petition. As most of the remaining property owners are non-residents, petitions were mailed to them to be signed. The committee expects to have nearly 100% of the signatures of the property owners when the petitions are returned by the non-resident owners. The Commercial club’s committee met with the city council last Tuesday evening and presented the petition to the council. As the members of the council are very anxious to have a White Way installed it can be set down as a certainty now that Shakopee will have a new White Way within the next few months.

J. J. Cavanaugh, president of the council, has informed us that it is the council’s intentions to start the actual work of installing the White Way just as soon as weather will permit this coming spring.

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 11, 1951 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Scout Hike Set for Saturday

Members of the Shakopee Boy Scout troop have scheduled a hike in the NYA camp, east of Shakopee for Saturday afternoon. The boys are to assemble at the Scout cabin at 1:30 and return at 6 o’clock, patrol leaders said…

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 11, 1951 Shakopee Valley News

Council Appoints New Assessor

Mrs. Loretta Jaspers was appointed city assessor for the 1951 year by action of the Shakopee City Council Tuesday evening. She has served in the past as assessor.

Salary will be $400 for the year. However, if the present state legislature abolishes the personal property tax on household goods, her salary will be proportionately reduced…

50 Years Ago: From the Jan. 14, 1976 Shakopee Valley News

Bridge spanning Minnesota River linked with growth potential for Scott County

A meeting of the minds regarding the proposed Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge bill was attempted last week in Minneapolis.

Representatives from the Metropolitan Council, legislature, Shakopee and Scott County met with Senator Walter Mondale, author of the bill, to handle the need for a bridge in one area of the proposed wildlife refuge…

25 Years Ago: From the Jan. 11, 2001 Shakopee Valley News

Co. Rd. 16 realignment plan to bring opposition

A nearly completed study on the realignment of County Road 16 and the extension of 17th Avenue is likely to show that the most northerly of the four thoroughly studied options is the most feasible. Strong opposition from affected residents is expected.

The feasibility report was expected to be completed this month. But pending comment from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Scott County, as well as a future county funding commitment, the publishing of the report will likely be pushed into February. What it will likely show is that the extension of 17th Avenue to the east of County Road 83 should line up with existing County Road 16 just east of the existing fork in that section of the county road. Residents along County Road 16 east of County Road 83 have expressed opposition to the idea because they expect it to bring heavier traffic on what they expect will ultimately be a four-lane road…

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150 Years Ago: From the Jan. 6, 1876 Shakopee Argus

The Presbyterian Sociable will be held at the residence of Mrs. M. S. Titus, on Thursday evening next, the 13th inst. A cordial invitation is extended to all.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 3, 1901 Scott County Argus

The Minnesota Stove Co. has bought the entire nickle-plating outfit of the St. Paul Stove Co. and will bring it to Shakopee immediately. It is much larger than that of the company here, which has been much too small for their business.

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 4, 1901 Shakopee Tribune

Auditor Moore’s office is graced by a new writing table with polished top, three by four and a half feet in size, oak finish. Throughout it is a fine piece of cabinet work, the product of F. X. Hirscher & Sons’ factory.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 8, 1926 Shakopee Argus

Radio Program

Mayor E. K. Ries announces that arrangements have been made by her to broadcast a Shakopee program from WCCO station Saturday evening, January 23d, from 8:15 to 9:15 o’clock. The program will include Shakopee talent only and will be awaited with interest by radio enthusiasts. It will be published in full next week.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 7, 1926 Shakopee Tribune

Shakopee Now Practically Assured White Way

The working out of plans whereby Shakopee is to have a new White Way has been in progress for some time and these plans now have apparently materialized to an extent that it is safe to predict at this time that Shakopee will have a new White Way installed in its business section during 1926.

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 4, 1951 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Move to Speed up Hospital Project

In the hope of providing a new hospital even if anticipated federal aid fails to materialize or is long delayed in being allocated to the Tri-County hospital project here, the Sisters of St. Francis took steps this week to make good their promise that a new hospital will be built in Shakopee at the earliest possible date.

The sisters, who operate the present hospital, instructed their architect Hubert Sanson, Minneapolis, to complete preliminary plans and at the same time disclosed their intention to call for open competitive bids as soon as plans had been completed…

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 4, 1951 Shakopee Valley News

New Scoop In Action

Shakopee’s newest piece of heavy street and road machinery got a good stiff workout in handling the heavy snow of last week, and all observers agreed that the new machine, pictured above, came through the test with flying colors.

The large, three wheeled vehicle is known as a “Scoopmobile” and can maneuver rapidly in a small space while handling, lifting and loading heavy loads up to two tons. At present the machine is equipped with a large snow bucket.

However, for use during the summer, the machine can be used to load gravel…

50 Years Ago: From the Jan. 7, 1976 Shakopee Valley News

City receives grant

Second District Congressman Tom Hagedorn announced today that Shakopee will receive $80,000 from the Housing and Urban Development Block Grant. The money is to be earmarked for rehabilitations programs, according to the Congressman.

25 Years Ago: From the Jan. 4, 2001 Shakopee Valley News

New junior high mural reflects student diversity

It’s more than just another painting done by a bunch of kids.

A colorful new mural spreading across a wall in the cafeteria at Shakopee Junior High reflects the changing cultural landscape of the community and the school’s 900 students.

Whether they are of African, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, or European descent, all students and their families should feel they are among friends when they enter the building, explained school principal Jean Wyatt. The mural, with its global appeal, doubles as a giant “Welcome” sign…

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