City Square Park in the heart of downtown Chaska will undergo an improvement project this summer as a part of the city’s capital asset management program.

The iconic park features a gazebo, seating areas, landscaping and American Indian burial mounds and has been a central location for community gatherings since the land was donated to the city in 1857.

Updating the park comes with unique challenges because of its American Indian burial mounds and its location in Chaska’s historic district said city administrator Matt Podhradsky, 

“We’ve had planning discussions for a couple of years with both the Minnesota State Historical Preservation Office (because of the park’s location) and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (because of burial mounds). They look at things a bit differently, so it’s been an interesting process,” Podhradsky said.  

One example: according to state statute, the entire park is considered a cemetery because of the burial mounds so there can be no digging in the park. This can make improvements tricky to design. Landscaping railings will be removed by cutting them as close to the ground as possible without digging and new fencing will be fabricated around them.

Paver stones that are currently in the park are not considered historic materials and will be removed in favor of concrete. 

The current gazebo is in poor condition and will also be replaced. The new gazebo will include a ramp to make it more accessible to everyone and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

“When finished, the park might not look a lot different, but it will look a lot better,” Podhradsky said. 

Park History

The most unique features of City Square Park are the American Indian burial mounds. They were constructed by an indigenous tribe, though no one knows for sure which it was, according to Julie Wiese, a Chaska Historical Society volunteer.

“The Iowa Indians lived here in the 1700s, as reported by missionary and historian Gideon Pond, but they were in conflict with the Dakota, who were trying to push the Iowa westward, as the Ojibwe were driving the Dakota westward,” Wiese said.

Originally, there were six mounds, built as a circle. The circle shape is very important in American Indian spirituality; they may have been constructed that way for protection, burial or worship. During the 1800s, at the time of settlement, the mounds were “topped” (cutting down their height), though records don’t reflect why that happened. 

Later, some were removed in creating streets. At some point, excavators dug into the mounds and found stone weapons, pottery, beads carved from bones, implements made of bones, shell and copper, and human bones. Today, three mounds remain at the park.