Our Story – Our Tradition – Our Mascots

* A Thriving Town
In the late 1800’s, Jordan began to thrive due to numerous businesses – two flour mills, two breweries, a stone quarry, a lumber shop, a harness shop, a blacksmith, a gunsmith, a baker, a boot and shoe store, three general merchandise stores, two hardware stores, two grocery stores, two millineries, two meat markets, two jewelers, two hotels, and eight saloons. It was Jordan’s industry and commerce, not necessarily the railroads that were of significance to Jordan.

* From the December 25, 1879 Scott County Advocate
“Jordan of today is a beautiful and enterprising little city of about 1,400 inhabitants, and a bright gem in the diadem (jeweled crown) of a noble State. Jordan is a station on both the Minneapolis & St. Louis, and the St. Paul & Sioux City railroads, and while to railroad interests is greatly due its origin and fast growth, it is not essentially a railroad town in the sense of receiving its main support from that source. The surrounding country is one of the finest in Minnesota, and the agricultural interests alone embody a sustaining force for a much larger town. Then there is a growing tendency towards industrial and manufacturing enterprise, that bids fair to place Jordan on a plane of equality with many more favored localities. The presence of railroads, breweries, mills, elevators, and warehouses give the place an appearance and activity in business matters seldom seen in a town this size. The citizens and businessmen are enterprising, industrious, and thrifty. It is possessed of good church and educational facilities."

* The Bid for County Seat
During this time, Jordan sought heavily to be the seat of Scott County (instead of Shakopee) not only because they believed they were the geographic ”Hub" of the county but because they were a thriving, scrappy, industrious trade and commercial center – known affectionately, at that time, as “The Star of the Valley.” Sand Creek was more than just a beautiful waterway through Jordan, it was where much of the industry centered to include several mills. Jordan was known to have produced the best flour in the state of Minnesota!

In preparation for their bid to become the new seat of Scott County, the town of Jordan raised funds to build a beautiful county building because Shakopee’s existing building was failing. Unfortunately, after three county seat attempts, there was no victory for Jordan. But, with pride and reverence, the moniker “Hub” remained and was affectionately used interchangeably with the name Jordan from then on. For many, many years, in print, we find that Jordan was often referred to as the “Hub City.”

* The Rise of School Activities and Mascot Pride
Initially, when organized school sports began (in the early 1900’s) they didn’t have specific team names or mascots for their interscholastic sports. For example, school basketball teams would just be called the “JHS Basketeers” or the “JHS Cagers.” This was similar for most towns. In the 1940’s we start to see newspapers referring to the Jordan male athletic teams as the “Hub City Boys” or the “Jordan Hubmen.” As this reference caught on and was popularized, the name Hubmen stuck – out of a sense of pride for the city and its history.

Over time, there have been several representations of a Hubmen. The “the wheel and the wing” was known as the original mascot (it was and is still used by other city organizations). In the 1990’s we see the drawing of a muscled man (depicted as a railroad worker) in overalls fancied with the wheel and the wing emblem. We suppose this person could also, and perhaps should also, represent the industrious workers, both men and women, of Jordan’s businesses, mills, and other trades.

While female athletics were active at Jordan High School to include a thriving girl’s athletic association, it wasn’t until 1975 when the school board established the first female interscholastic athletic programs. It was at this time that the first official girl’s volleyball team requested to have a name of their own. They asked the school board if they could be known as the “Jaguars.” The board said yes. Like the Hubmen, the Jaguars have a proud history to include several state team and individual championships.

Finally, in 1990, there was the addition of the Scott West Panthers which is the cooperative wrestling team with neighboring Belle Plaine. Important to note, there were many years when Jordan had their own successful wrestling team called the Hubmen.


* Thank you for the support from these resources: Jordan Independent Newspaper Archives, City of Jordan, Jordan: A Newspaper Looks at a Town Vol 1 & 2, Minnesota Historical Society, Scott County Historical Society