Wastedo, Minnesota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Leon Township. It lies in ZIP code area 55009. The Survey maps it on the White Rock quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 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.
- 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
- 1968 USGS White Rock quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Rochester quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Rochester quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
8,812 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 Leon Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
During 1857 E. A. Sargent built the first store erected in the township, and stocked it, but after a few years discontinued it. In 1868, M. T. Opsal built a small store and filled it with goods. Trade soon compelled him to enlarge the building, and he is now carrying on a thriving business.
EDSTROM, M.9 farmer, sec. 21, P. 0. Wastedo. Owns 140 acres, worth $6,000. Was born in Sweden in 1812. Came to America in 1854, settling in Henry county, 111., where he remained until the spring of 1855, when he moved to this township, where he has since resided. Married Mary Eles in Sweden. Their children are - John A., Charles, Christine, August, Mary, Axel and Ferdinand. The eldest son, John A., resides on sec. 28, P. 0. Wastedo. Owns 135 acres, worth $6,500. He was born in Sweden, July 12, 1848. Came to America and to this township with parents. Was elected township clerk in 1873, and has been elected at
C. Magnuson, Aug, 3, 1872, in Vasa township. She was born in Sweden. They have had but one child, Albert M., born Jan. 18, 1877, but died when two months old. The second son, Charles, residing on sec. 16, P. 0. Wastedo, was born in Sweden, Feb. 14, 1850. Came to America and to this township with parents. Owns 130 acres, worth $6,000. Married Christine Johnson in 1876. She was born in this township. Their children are - Martha E. and Emma M. Has held the office of township supervisor, is Republican, and member of the Swedish Lutheran Church.
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 Leon Township - it names this place 9 more 9 times.
Fires near this place
7 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Wastedo between 1994 and 2015, burning about 68 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 April 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 23 April 1994 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 April 1994 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 April 1994 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 November 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 October 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 October 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Wastedo: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Hader Quarry & Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Roscoe Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Spring Garden Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
13 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wastedo in 13 storm reports between 2006 and 2026: 7 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | $5,000 | A large tree was blown down. The tree landed on a parked vehicle and damaged it. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Wastedo | - | Several very large hail stones roughly 2.5 inches in diameter fell near Urland Church on Goodhue County 9. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | - | There was sporadic tree damage southeast of Cannon Falls, but nothing too concentrated or significant. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Wastedo | - | The hail was measured and was the second wave of large hail within an hour. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | - | A 75 mph wind gust was measured south of Cannon Falls. Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph were also measured for 10 minutes. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | - | A MNDOT sensor measured a wind gust south of Cannon Falls along Highway 52. |
| June 2012 | Flash Flood | Wastedo | - | Excessive rainfall in a short period of time caused Highway 52 to close due to flood waters over the roadway. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | - | The Minnesota Department of Transportation Wind Sensor measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | - | An automated Minnesota Department of Transportation Weather Station measured a wind gust of 59 mph. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Wastedo | - | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | Wastedo | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wastedo | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Wastedo | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hader | 3.8 miles | 11 | |
| Sogn | 4.1 miles | 11 | |
| Belle Creek | 4.9 miles | 11 | |
| Nansen | 5.7 miles | 11 | |
| White Rock | 5.7 miles | 11 | |
| Wangs | 6.8 miles | 11 | |
| Ryan | 7.3 miles | 10 | |
| Cannon Falls | 7.6 miles | 11 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 654996. 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.






