 In 1855 portions of those counties were partitioned off to create Steele.Then on 27 February 1857, the territorial legislature authorized partitioning the west portion of Steele for the creation of Waseca County, with its seat at Wilton, a settlement which began in 1854.The county name was taken from the area's first farming settlement, started in 1855, near the present location of the city of Waseca.