Editing Waseca, Minnesota (section)

==History==
[[File:WasecaCountyHistoricalSociety.jpg|alt=Exterior of the Waseca County Historical Society building|thumb|Waseca County Historical Society]]
Waseca was [[plat]]ted in July 1867 where the railroad system established a stop. Within a year it was a major shipping hub for wheat, and the city had 129 buildings and 700 people.<ref name=WPA>{{cite book |author=<!--The Federal Writer's Project--> |orig-date=1938|date=1985 |title=WPA Guide to Minnesota |url= |publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society]]|location=[[Saint Paul, Minnesota]] |pages=400–401 |isbn=0873517121}}</ref>

In 1912 the [[University of Minnesota]] purchased 246 acres of swampland and established an experimental farm called Southeast Station. Studies included corn, swine and cattle-breeding.<ref name=WPA/> In 1953 the university opened the Southern School of Agriculture for farming students. It operated as a boarding school, with a six-month term scheduled around farming activities.<ref name="LehmbergPflaum2001">{{cite book|author1=Stanford E. Lehmberg|author2=Ann M. Pflaum|title=The University of Minnesota, 1945-2000|url=https://archive.org/details/universityofminn00stan|url-access=registration|access-date=January 30, 2013|date=January 1, 2001|publisher=U of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-3255-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/universityofminn00stan/page/106 106]–}}</ref> In 1971 it became the [[University of Minnesota Waseca]], a two-year technical college, and served nearly 20,000 students before closing in 1992.<ref name=Spilman>{{cite web|title=Waseca Technical College records, 1967-1995|author=Karen Spilman|publisher=University of Minnesota Libraries|url=http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/uarc00168.xml}}</ref><ref name=SROCHist>{{cite web|title=Early History of the Southern Experiment Station- Reprinted, in part, from Minnesota Science and Waseca County News 75th Anniversary Issue – June 1988 |url=https://sroc.cfans.umn.edu/about/history/early-history-southern-experiment-station|access-date=July 25, 2022}}</ref>

The city took its name from [[Waseca County, Minnesota]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA135|year=1908|page=135}}</ref> "Waseca" is a [[Dakota language]] word meaning "rich in provisions".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://discoverwaseca.com/resources/city-of-waseca/|title=Discover Waseca {{!}} City Of Waseca|website=discoverwaseca.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-29}}</ref> It was founded as a hub of agricultural activity.<ref name=Moses>{{cite book|last=Moses|first=George|title=Minnesota in Focus|year=1974|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|location=[[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]]|page=75}}</ref> In the mid-1900s, three companies were founded in Waseca with national markets: Brown Printing, EF Johnson Technologies Inc., and Herter's Outgoor Gear. The result was a strong, diverse economy. In the mid-1970s, Waseca's post office was the third busiest in the state for postal receipts.<ref name="Moses"/>

In 1923, Edgar F. Johnson and his wife, Ethel Johnson, founded [[EF Johnson Technologies|E.F. Johnson Co.]] It shared space with a downtown Waseca woodworking shop, and sold radio transmission parts by mail order. It built its first factory in 1936, and was a major supplier of defense production during [[World War II]]. Johnson merged with Western Union in 1982. In 1997, it was sold and its headquarters moved to Texas.<ref name="UrgentComm">{{cite web |title=80 Years with E F Johnson |url=https://urgentcomm.com/2003/10/01/80-years-with-e-f-johnson/ |website=urgentcomm.com |date=October 2003 |publisher=IWCE Urgent Communications |access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref> The Johnsons played a major role in establishing Waseca County Historical Society.<ref>{{cite web|title=Edgar F. and Ethel Johnson Fund|url=https://www.historical.waseca.mn.us/support/endowments/EF-Johnson|access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref>

[[George Leonard Herter|George Herter]] launched Herter's in 1937 from his father's dry goods store and became an original model of successful mail-order retailers.<ref name=Smith>{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Doug |title="Herter's catalog is long gone, but not forgotten-George Herter made his peculiarities obvious with his catalog, but he also changed how outdoors products are marketed"|url=https://www.startribune.com/herter-s-catalog-is-long-gone-but-not-forgotten/291167741/ |journal=[[Star Tribune]] |date=February 7, 2015 |accessdate=July 24, 2022 |archive-date=July 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724153055/https://www.startribune.com/herter-s-catalog-is-long-gone-but-not-forgotten/291167741/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Herter's merchandise is now sold by [[Cabela's]] and [[Bass Pro Shops]]. Herter's successful catalog business, including its print runs of 400,000 to 500,000 copies, were a major factor in Brown Printing's success.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/Collins-t.html| title=Essay - The Oddball Know-It-All| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=December 5, 2008| url-access=subscription| access-date=July 24, 2022| archive-date=January 6, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106043018/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/Collins-t.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Brown Printing was started in 1949 and grew to include facilities in [[Illinois]] and [[Pennsylvania]]. It was sold to Quad Printing in 2015.<ref name=Krohn18>{{cite web|last=Krohn|first=Tim| url=https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/former-brown-printing-plant-in-waseca-sold-to-group-that-includes-drummers/article_ec7cb9b2-8b91-11e8-84a0-43ba88378661.html| title=Former Brown Printing plant in Waseca sold to group that includes Drummer's | publisher=[[The Free Press (Mankato)|Mankato Free Press]]|work=www.mankatofreepress.com| date=July 19, 2018| url-access=subscription| access-date=July 24, 2022| archive-date=July 24, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724155348/https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/former-brown-printing-plant-in-waseca-sold-to-group-that-includes-drummers/article_ec7cb9b2-8b91-11e8-84a0-43ba88378661.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Krohn20>{{cite web|last=Krohn|first=Tim| url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota/articles/2020-01-06/waseca-making-progress-year-after-quad-plant-closing?context=amp| title=Waseca making progress year after Quad plant closing | publisher=[[The Free Press (Mankato)|Mankato Free Press]]|work=www.mankatofreepress.com| agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=January 6, 2020| url-access=| access-date=July 24, 2022| archive-date=July 24, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724155348/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota/articles/2020-01-06/waseca-making-progress-year-after-quad-plant-closing?context=amp| url-status=live}}</ref>

A post office has been in operation at Waseca since 1867.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MN&county=Waseca | title=Waseca County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History |access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> Waseca was incorporated as a city in 1881.<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog|year=1920|publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society]]|location=[[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n583 566]}}</ref>

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the E.F. Johnson Company plant was on war footing, with production 24 hours a day and heavy surveillance. Waseca was one of the first cities to use municipal funds to buy war bonds.<ref name=Quealy>{{cite journal |last=Quealy |first=Catherine |title="With their Heads, Hearts and Hands-Small Minnesota Communities More Than 'Doing Bit' in War"|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67800392/19420830waseca-wwii/ |journal=[[Star Tribune]] |date=August 30, 1942|page=24 |accessdate=July 24, 2022 }}</ref>

[[Image:Waseca5.jpg|thumb|A leveled house from the 1967 tornado]]
On April 30, 1967, Waseca was severely damaged by the [[1967 Iowa–Minnesota tornado outbreak]].

[[Image:Waseca County Courthouse.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Waseca County Courthouse]] in 2007]]
Waseca has six properties on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]: the 1868 [[Philo C. Bailey House]], the circa-1895 [[William R. Wolf House]], the 1896 [[Roscoe P. Ward House]], the 1897 [[John W. Aughenbaugh House]], the 1897 [[Waseca County Courthouse]], and the circa-1900 [[W. J. Armstrong Company Wholesale Grocers Building]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Minnesota National Register Properties Database |url=http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/nrhp/ |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |year=2009 |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref>

Past mayors of Waseca include:
* William Grosvener Ward
* Robert Laird McCormick (1874–1880)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS10386|title=Mccormick, Robert Laird 1847 - 1911 {{!}} Wisconsin Historical Society|date=August 8, 2017|work=Wisconsin Historical Society|access-date=November 29, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>
* Warren Smith (1881–1882)
* Marquis De Lafayette "M D L" Collester (1883-1883??)
* Gottfried Buchler (1886–1887)
* Eugene Belnap "E.B." Collester, (1887 to 1888)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=11760|title=Collester, Eugene Belnap "E.B." - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present|website=www.leg.state.mn.us|language=en|access-date=November 29, 2017}}</ref>
* Towbridge
* D. S. Cummings (1888–1890)
* Col. D. E. Priest (1891-??)
* D. S. Cummings (1893–1896)
* John Moonan (1897–1898)
* Charles A. Smith (1898–1904)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://genealogytrails.com/minn/waseca/bios_r.htm|title=Waseca County, Minnesota Genealogy and History|website=genealogytrails.com|access-date=November 29, 2017}}</ref>
* Bob Zehm
* Bob Sien
* Avery "Doc" Hall (1975-1987)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freewebs.com/vfwpost1642/Doc%20Hall%20article%20in%20Mankato%20Free%20Press.pdf | access-date=November 11, 2023 | title=Six-time Waseca mayor 'Doc' Hall was known for his spirit | first=Brian | last=Ojanpa | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724122802/https://vfwpost1642.webs.com/Doc%20Hall%20article%20in%20Mankato%20Free%20Press.pdf | archive-date=July 24, 2023}}</ref>
* Richard Marcus (1988–1989)
* Steve Manthe (1989–1982)
* Judy Kozan (1992–1993)
* Steve Manthe (1993–1995)
* John Clemons (1995–2000)
* Tom Hagen (2000–2004)
* Roy Srp (2004–2014)
* John Clemons (2014–2016)
* Roy Srp (2016–2022)
* Randy Zimmerman (2023-Current)