Chaska Historical Society

Organized in 1980, the Chaska Historical Society is a small, all-volunteer nonprofit group working to expand our visibility and outreach, especially with the newer, younger, more diverse members of the rapidly-growing community of Chaska. 

OUR VISION:

The Chaska Historical Society will inspire an appreciation of Chaska’s diverse community today and in the future.

OUR MISSION:

The Chaska Historical Society will stimulate community engagement in history by collecting, preserving, recording and sharing Chaska’s past and evolving history.

OUR VALUES:

We support the Chaska city values:

• Citizenship (Community)

• Environmentalism
• Generosity   (time, commitment, resources of volunteers, members and others)
• Human Worth and Dignity
• The Historical Society honors intentional, welcoming inclusivity within our community.
• Integrity  (Ethics, Honesty)
• The Historical Society believes that integrity requires accurately recognizing and representing its past and evolving history.
• Learning  (Continuous Improvement, Knowledge)
• Respect  (Trust, Dignity)
• Responsibility (Accountability, Commitment)

In addition to these eight, the Chaska Historical Society believes in:

• EDUCATING THROUGH STORIES.  Members of the community will recognize their part in the story of Chaska and will become more engaged in preserving its history.

•  We are appreciative and supportive of new people, new ideas, and new traditions within the city.

•  We believe we need to embrace new and creative approaches in carrying out the society’s mission.

Our organization works to "stimulate community engagement in history by collecting, preserving, recording and sharing Chaska’s past and evolving history."  Our activities include many volunteer opportunities: curatorial tasks (accessions, cataloguing, etc.); creating displays; educating youths and adults; researching for individuals, businesses, and the City of Chaska; researching and organizing building histories of historic Chaska homes and businesses;  social media engagement; newsletter construction; publications; creating videos and scavenger hunt/family activities for engaging the public; translating all materials into Spanish and various African languages; marketing; coordinating volunteer opportunities, and more!