Carver

History

Ten thousand years ago, the Glacial River Warren flowed through the area and left deposits of clay, sand, gravel, and fine silt soils as well as the Minnesota River. Carver and the surrounding Minnesota River Valley were occupied by a Native American, pre-Columbian Woodland Culture from approximately 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1850. In 1834, there was a Wahpeton village at the present-day location of Carver, led by Chief Mazomaini; early maps indicate it was located on either side of the mouth of Carver Creek where it meets the Minnesota River. Pierre-Charles Le Sueur became the first European to navigate the Minnesota River, and between 1683 and 1700 made explorations of the region on behalf of King Louis XIV of France. In 1766, Jonathan Carver explored the area on behalf of the British Empire, and made maps as he searched for a western water route that flowed across North America to the Pacific Ocean. He named a small branch flowing into the Minnesota River "Carver's River", strongly correlated to the Carver Creek of today. In 1805, French trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault established the Little Rapids trading post just upriver of present-day Carver; the post, on behalf of the Northwest Fur Company, was visited by Voyageurs, Coureur des bois, Dakota Indians, and Christian missionaries.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. U.S. Highway 212 serves as a main route in the area.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• CHASKA HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CHASKA · 1,584 students · 21.7:1 ratio
• CHANHASSEN HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CHANHASSEN · 1,370 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• MINNETONKA WEST MIDDLE
  Middle · EXCELSIOR · 1,274 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Carver Elementary School
  Elementary · CARVER · 748 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• COLOGNE ACADEMY
  Elementary · COLOGNE · 658 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• CLOVER RIDGE ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · CHASKA · 657 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• VICTORIA ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · VICTORIA · 652 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• CHASKA MIDDLE SCHOOL WEST
  Middle · CHASKA · 599 students · 14.6:1 ratio