NEXT TRAIL TO TAKE

A walk through HISTORY

Historic features highlight the Minnesota Valley State Trail in Shakopee

BY ALYSSA HUGLEN

Along stretch of the Minnesota Valley State Trail runs through Shakopee along locations like Memorial Park and Huber Park. Shakopee’s section of the trail displays an array of different features highlighting the town’s history.

Remains of the Shakopee Brewery can be seen along the trail roughly 1.7 miles from Huber Park toward Chaska. Informational signs explain the brewery’s history and describe specific features of the brewery.

According to the Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee Brewery was founded in 1856 by Herman Strunk. It was the first brewery in Scott County.

Informational signs state that Strunk chose the location due to a natural spring, northern exposure and access to ice from nearby bodies of water.

The brewery was eventually sold to Andrew Winkler in 1863. When Winkler died in 1870, his widow, Mary Winkler, independently took over Shakopee Brewery’s operations until marrying German brewer Hubert Nyssen. The two ran the brewery together until prohibition forced it to close in 1920.

The current owners bought the building remains in 1957. Visitors along the trail can see many different features of the brewery that are still recognizable today.

Another feature along the trail near Huber Park is a brickyard lime kiln. The kiln belonged to Schroeder Brickyard. Founded in 1876 by Herman Schroeder, the Schroeder Brick and Lime Manufacturing Company was located along the river and ran until 1941.

The company is well-known in Shakopee for its iconic red bricks, which have been used in multiple buildings. According to the historical society, roughly one in every 100 bricks made out of Schroeder Brickyard had the word “Shakopee” stamped on it.

Scott County Historical Society Executive Director Heather Hoagland said it’s important to acknowledge features of Shakopee and Scott

PHOTO BY ALYSSA HUGLEN

Remains of the Shakopee Brewery are located along the trail in Shakopee.

PHOTO BY MADDIE DEBILZAN

An old kiln off the Minnesota Valley State Trail in Shakopee is one of the last remnants of the Schroeder Brickyard, which closed in 1941 after a 65-year run.

PHOTO BY ALYSSA HUGLEN

A large strip of the Minnesota Valley State Trail runs through Shakopee along the Minnesota River.

County history along the trail. That was a primary goal in the creation of the Shakopee Riverfront Cultural Trail, a project designed to recognize the cultural, historical and ecological significance of the existing 2.5mile section of the Minnesota Valley State Trail in town.

“The Shakopee Riverfront Cultural Trail is such an exciting project to see come to life along the Minnesota River in Shakopee because trail users literally walk through ten thousand years of history,” Hoagland said.

Highlighting the Schroeder Brickyard’s history is one part of the SRCT project. The SRCT visitor experience plan states that visitors can delve into “how people used the river and its resources to build local industries in the nineteenth century.”

The SRCT will also acknowledge and celebrate other significant pieces of history. “From Tinta Otunwe, a key Dakota settlement, to Samuel Pond’s mission house, to modern festivals in Huber and Memorial Park — this is a place of connections and shared history,” Hoagland said. “All the partners of the Scott County Cultural Consortium look forward to highlighting that history for visitors.”

255SarazinStreet•POBox470 Shakopee,MN55379 952.445-1988•ShakopeeUtilities.com Officehours M,T,TH: 7-4:30 W: 7-6 F: 7-11