In 1853, 21-year-old Hans Mattson led a group of immigrants to what was soon to be named the Mattson Settlement in Goodhue County, southwest of present-day Red Wing and ten miles east of present Cannon Falls. Shortly afterwards, Mattson became a prominent promoter of the area, particularly convincing Swedes to immigrate to Minnesota. He was also the founder of three Swedish-language weekly newspapers, which helped to keep the local communities connected and up-to-date on current events.
The Mattson Settlement was later renamed Vasa in honor of King Gustav Vasa, who ruled Sweden from 1523 to 1560. Many of the people who settled here hailed from northern Skåne. At least ten Swedish families were living in the Vasa community by 1854, and by 1880 almost 4,300 Swedes lived in Goodhue County. Once known as “the most Swedish colony in America,” Vasa prospered as an agricultural community until the 1950s, when its two general stores, creamery, and post office closed.
Vasa Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the most intact and unchanged of the original Swedish colonies of Minnesota. The architecture is the most representative of an immigrant people from which Minnesota derives much of its cultural image. Nineteen buildings there were constructed during the 19th century.
