The Minnesota American Legion Department was founded when the National American Legion came to Minnesota for a meeting in St. Paul on April 22, 1919. The first national convention was held in Minneapolis later that year (November 10-12). The Ernest Aselton Post 118 of Wayzata was granted its charter on September 3, 1919.

A.H. Quay was the first Commander of the Wayzata American Legion. The charter membership included: Arthur H. Quay, Joseph L. Quay, Fritz Johnson, Jerome E. Manning, Theodore Getten, Willis E. Kysor, Junior Buck, C.F. Gerber, Fred H. Linscog, David O. Frost, Malcolm E. Quay, Hugh Kemna, Edmund A Bleakley, Bernard W. Hagberg and Richard E. Wakefield.

For several years Post meetings were held above the City Hall and Fire Station, which stood at the corner of Manitoba and Lake Street. In the mid fourties Hart's Cafe (currently "Sunsets" at Broadway and Lake Street) became the home of the Wayzata Legion. In 1948 the Post moved to its current location on Wayzata Blvd. Although quite modest the "new era" had begun. Ollie Moe (1945-46) was the last of the WWI Commanders. Mike Vukas (1946-47) was the first Commander who was a WWII veteran. This new generation took over and with many volunteer man hours and the support of older veterans built a new "Legion Club". John Eastman was the general contractor for the project.

The first club was 30' by 75' and consisted of a small bar, a kitchen and a meeting room. During this time the Legionnaires were active in community affairs. They supported Legion Baseball, high school essay contests and helped with support for the disabled. The Color Guard appeared at local parades and the Honor Guards were present for Veteran's funeral services just as they do today.

In 1963 the club was enlarged to its present size, although the kitchen remained near the old bar and it was remodeled and converted to a barber shop. When the barber shop closed the room was used for small meetings and cards. Vern Johnson built a sauna and health club in the basement during that time. It was a "heyday" time for the Legion. Annual steak fries packed the house. Poker games were played on the main floor while dice were being thrown at a craps table in the basement--all very well attended and well controlled.

In 1990 the club was remodeled to its present configuration. A first class kitchen was added to the back of the facility to support a spacious dining hall.

The Wayzata American Legion is not only an organization that helps a multitude of civic organizations with direct donations and other forms of assistance we also serve our surrounding area by providing hosting for weddings and other events in our spacious hall. The hall can provide full service catering for your next big event. We are members of Twin City Bridal and have years of experience in hosting large events.