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A central part of the Shafer Days celebration is a re-enactment of an historic bank robbery, with the bank itself still standingin town.  The Mayor Paula Hanson, right, narrates the action as John Mattson and Mike Olmschenk play the roles.  The robbery was not successful butit was memorable. The belief is that a fire was set just outside of town and when everybody dashed off to deal with it, the thieves showed up. The pursuit was not immediately effective because the banker’s car was not running well, but the robbers were later caught.

Shafer was named by a resident of Taylors Falls, who was key in creating the township as it was split off from Taylors Falls. Oscar Roos is credited with suggesting the name for the new area be ‘Shafer’ after a man who cut hay in “Shafer Meadow.” The book, Shafer: Swamp to Village” reports the new township name apparently transferred to the village when the city was platted and incorporated.

Two dates are associated with the platting of Shafer. The records are dated 1855 and 1858 for seperate sections of land to be Shafer.  The railroad started purchasng acreage in the 1880s opening this area to modern development.




 

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