Long before the settlers and pioneers arrived, Victoria, Minnesota was inhabited by Native Americans. The Native group was the Dakota Indians, and the tribe that settled in the Carver area was the Mdewakanton tribe.

Michael Diethelm, from Switzerland, is said to be the first European settler in the Victoria area when he set up a temporary shelter in 1851, not far from the present site of St. Victoria Church. After the Treaty of Mendota, a treaty where the Indians moved out of the area allowing settlers to live there, other Europeans began to build their homes. Most of the homes were built out of the surrounding wooded areas. The city itself is named after the St. Victoria Church, built on 30 acres of land just north of Lake Bavaria in 1857.

Because the soil in the area was so rich, more settlers were notified and began to farm the land in the 1850’s and 60’s. Soon, Victoria became very agricultural, with wheat being the main cash crop. However, the cities advancement became inevitable when the first railroad arrived in 1882, and the first automobile in 1911. Victoria Drive was the first road of great importance to the city and its settlers. It extended from Chaska toward what is now known as St. Bonifacious and Watertown. Steamboats provided easier access to selling crops in the bigger cities, which caused the agriculture to continue to flourish.

Today, Victoria is called the city of lake and parks, because of its many parks and lakes throughout the surrounding community. It provides beautiful areas of living that offer both a small-town feel, as well as easy access to commercial areas nearby.

If you have any questions regarding the city of Victoria, Minnesota, or if you would like to sell or buy a house in the area, please feel free to visit TwinCitiesPropertyFinder.com or call 1-800-909-1953.