BlockVasa, Minnesota
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1944 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Vasa Township. It lies in ZIP code area 55089. The Survey maps it on the Welch quadrangle.
On record in Vasa
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register within a mile 1 record
The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.
- Vasa Historic Districtlisted 1975 · 0.2 miles away
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1944 USGS Red Wing quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1952 USGS Red Wing quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Saint Paul quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS St. Paul quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Saint Paul quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS St. Paul quadrangle1:250000
- 1974 USGS Welch quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Hastings quadrangle1:100000
- 1990 USGS Hastings quadrangle1:100000
- 1991 USGS Welch quadrangle1:24000
In the county-history sources
16,756 words on this townshipHistory of Goodhue County, Including a Sketch of the Territory and State of Minnesota; Together with an Account of the Early French Discoveries, Indian Massacres, the Part Borne by Minnesota's Patriots in the War of the Great Rebellion, and a Full and Complete History of the County from the Time of Its Occupancy by Swiss Missionaries in 1838. Pioneer Incidents, Biographical Sketches of Early and Prominent Settlers and Representative Men, and of Its Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc, published 1878 names this settlement in its chapter on Vasa Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
HARTUNG, GEORGE, pastor of the German Methodist Church, Red Wing; was born in Thuringen, Germany, Nov. 18, 1843. He accompanied his parents to the United States in 1857, who settled in Washington county, Minnesota, where he worked with his father until 1864, when he procured a scholarship in the Wallace (German) College, at Berea, Ohio. He attended that institution two years, and returned to Washington county, where he prosecuted his studies while working on his father's farm. He was married Sept. 18, 1869, to Charlotte Spangenberg. She was born in Thuringen, Germany, Nov. 9, 1843. His first labors in the ministry were those of a local preacher; his first charge was at St. Croix mission, Prescott, Wis., where he remained until regularly ordained a minister of the Gospel, Sept. 28, 1873. At this time he was sent to Crow River mission, Wright county, Minnesota. At the expiration of two years he was sent to Salem, West St. Paul, having been created an elder, Sept. 26, 1875. In October, 1876, he came to Red Wing, and accepted his present charge. They have four children living - Amelia, Lydia, William and Alfred. Geo. F., born in Washington county, Sept. 6, 1870, died the 24th of the same month. Mrs. H. is also a member of the German Methodist Church.
HAWLEY, At B., (deceased,) was born in Caroline, Tompkins county, N. Y., Nov. 6, 1833. In 1852 he graduated at Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y. Having chosen the medical profession for his life work, he at once commenced his studies and graduated at the medical department of the above college in 1855. In order to still further perfect himself in his studies, he visited Europe and attended two courses of medical lectures in Edinburg, Scotland; one course in London, England, and one in Paris, France. He then returned to Geneva, and July 16, 1857, came to this city, where he was a successful practitioner for ten years. In 1867 he engaged in the drug business, in which he continued until his death, Sept. 20, 1878. He was married to Miss H. B. Blackstock, who was a native of Alleghany City, Pennsylvania.
HODGMAN* J. Mm whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Windsor county, Vt., Feb. 17, 1822. Received his primary education in his native county, and from thence was a student in Meriden Seminary, N. EL, and afterwards in a military school, under the control of the State, at Norwich, Vermont. In Oct., 1851:, he came to this city, which was then in its infancy, and being pleased with the prospect and surroundings, he determined to make it his home, and for that purpose returned East, closed up his business there and returned to Red Wing in the spring of 1856, where he has since resided. He first engaged in the mercantile business, which he continued until 1860, when he became a partner with T. B. Sheldon, in the forwarding and commission business, in which he continued until 1867, since which time, on account of ill health, he has not been actively engaged in any business. In 1868 he was elected mayor of this city, and re-elected in 1878, which honorable position he now fills. Was married in this city, May 13, 1862, to Harriet Kellogg, who is a daughter of Joseph Kellogg, of New York State. Leonard W. is their only child.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Vasa Township - it names this place 14 more 14 times.
Fires near this place
5 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Vasa between 1994 and 2015, burning about 27 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 April 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.9 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 22 April 1994 | Debris and open burning | 8.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 March 2012 | Smoking | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 October 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 14 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Vasa: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martinson Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Oconnor Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
12 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vasa in 12 storm reports between 1997 and 2020: 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Vasa | $300,000 | A tornado touched down just west of a farm, where a definite path was evident in the corn field. It took the tin roof off of much of a turkey barn. An empty grain bin was blown several hundred yards. The southern half of a large machine shed was collapsed. Two windows were blown in at a nearby school, which also had a small portion of its roof torn back. Numerous trees were broken. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vasa | $20,000 | A few 4 to 6 inch diameter trees were blown down near Vasa, Minnesota. |
| July 2019 | Flash Flood | Vasa | - | Local law enforcement officials barricaded County Road 6 and 305th Street due to water over the road. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vasa | - | A wooden shed was collapsed and blown downwind, and numerous trees were broken. The damage pattern of the shed suggested divergence, and the tree damage pattern did not suggest any tornadic damage. The damage in this area appeared to be from a downburst. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vasa | - | Trees blocking road at Highway 19 and 135th St. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vasa | - | Four trees toppled at intersection of Highway 58 and County Road 4. Power lines felled at County Road 1 and County Road 53. Additional trees downed at County Road 6 and County Road 1. |
| July 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Vasa | - | Tornado damage investigated by a NWS survey team. Scattered trees were toppled, with minor house and shed damage. The tornado damage was accompanied by widespread straight line wind damage. Damage to sheds, trees and one residential roof. The straight line wind damage may have arisen from winds gusting to 70 to 75 mph, or possibly greater. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vasa | - | Damage swath Northwest to Southeast across Vasa, Featherstone, Belvidere Mills and Goodhue. Damage included houses and barns destroyed, a substation damaged, a semi-truck hurled on its side one mile South of Highway 58 on County Road 4. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vasa | - | Garage blown down. Roof ripped off house. Silo blown onto barn, killing five cows. Estimated windspeed. |
| September 2020 | Hail | Vasa | - | no account filed |
| September 2020 | Hail | Vasa | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Vasa | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Rock | 4.0 miles | 11 | |
| Welch | 4.6 miles | 15 | |
| Belle Creek | 5.2 miles | 11 | |
| Ryan | 5.5 miles | 10 | |
| Claybank | 6.4 miles | 10 | |
| Harliss | 6.5 miles | 15 | |
| Eggleston | 8.5 miles | 15 | |
| Goodhue | 8.8 miles | 11 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 653622. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.