The Railroad
The history of Jackson Township is closely intertwined with the history of the railroad in Scott County. The process of bringing the railroad to the county began with a series of stops and starts. The Minnesota Territory first received federal land grants to provide for railroad construction in 1857. Unfortunately, the next decade was noted for a series of tumultuous events that delayed construction. First, there was “the panic of 1857”, an economic depression in the United States and England characterized by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. During this time, rail companies were reluctant to add to their lines. Next were two concurrent wars- the US Dakota war of 1862 and the Civil war that lasted from 1861 - 1865. Because of this, rail did not actually come to Shakopee (the first stop in Scott County) until 1865.
Train and tracks by the Shakopee Powerhouse, 1905. Photo from the SCHS Collections.
Rail could make or break a fledgling town. Rail brought goods and supplies, and allowed local manufacturers and farmers to conveniently ship their products. It also brought new people to settle and expand local communities.
Similarly, the location of a railroad shaped a community. Business corridors sprang up or moved in order to be near the rail line. Often the homes of wealthy citizens would follow, wanting to be near places of work or convenient shopping. By the time rail planning began for Shakopee, local policy-makers were well aware of the impact rail could have on a town.
The Creation of Jackson Township
Jackson Township was explicitly created in order to control the path of rail lines. The township is the smallest in the county, and lies directly west of Shakopee. In 1869 surveyors from the Hastings and Dakota Railroad were given the task of planning a route through Shakopee. There was a surprising amount of negotiation involved in this process. The railroad charter stipulated that the route had to go within the city limits of the town, but not how centrally it had to be located. Surveyors were tasked with finding the best location for the lowest land cost.
City officials wanted the railroad to be centrally located in order to benefit the business district, but this land often sold at a premium, leading railroad surveyors to look towards less expensive land on the outskirts of town. Because of this, the surveyors were initially planning to route the rail line on the western end of town.
Rather than negotiating to make centrally located land less expensive to the rail company, and therefore more appealing, Shakopee officials at the time decided to force the surveyors to buy downtown land at a higher price. They applied for a completely new city charter, excluding the nine miles on the western side of town which had been of interest to the rail companies. This land was designated “Jackson Township”, making it no longer technically a part of Shakopee, and therefore not a permissible location for new lines under the terms of the rail charter.
The New Township
At the founding of Jackson Township, there were already many people living in the area. Because of the small size of the township, and its proximity to Shakopee, Jackson remained connected to the larger town. In spite of this, residents of the township quickly moved to establish their own governing body. The first official meeting of the township occurred in the home of W. F. Weiser in Shakopee in 1870. By 1872, residents had formed their own elected governing group. Joseph Graffentadt was elected Chairman, Franz Baumhoefer and John Thul were supervisors, and Hubert Rohel became clerk.
The first school in Jackson had been built in 1868, before Jackson separated from Shakopee. It was a small, frame building and 43 students were enrolled. A few years later, a larger brick building was built to replace it. After the Jackson district officially merged with Shakopee Schools, the brick building became the township hall. It remained in service until 1981.