NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
United by community bonds
The history of Norwood Young America is anything but typical. Technically the city is less than 30 years old, but Norwood and Young America grew next to one another for over a century before uniting to form one larger city in 1997.
While a new era has begun with the merger of the two cities, local residents cherish their unique past and have preserved it with the formation of the Willkommen Heritage and Preservation Society of Norwood Young America.
ORIGIN OF CITIES
The story of Young America and Norwood begins with James Slocum, Jr., a co-founder of Young America and founder of Norwood. One of the first pioneers of Minnesota, Slocum came to the state in April of 1855. Arriving in St. Paul, he boarded a steamboat to Carver and followed Native American trails to the present-day location of Young America, which he platted and named in 1856 along with Dr. R. M. Kennedy. Slocum then set to work establishing the first saw and grist mill, general mercantile, and provision and grain business.
Slocum chose the English name of Young America for the village, but by the time the village was incorporated in 1879 a majority of citizens were of Teutonic descent and the town was renamed Teuteburg.
A short time later, however, a sign bearing the name‘ Teuteburg” was run over by a team of oxen. Taking that episode as a bad omen, the people decided to rename the town Florence. That name also failed to last, as another Minnesota town had already claimed Florence as its title. In the end, Young America was reconsidered and adopted as the town’ s name.
At that time, in 1880, the population of Young America was 151 people.
Norwood arose with the establishment of the local railroad. An addition to the Milwaukee railroad meant the installation of tracks near Young America. Residents of the town, however, decided they didn’ t want to
See HISTORY / Page 11
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