Ramsey County History – Spring 2021: “Historical Sleuthing: Solving the Mysteries of Fort Snelling through Archaeology”

Historical Sleuthing: Solving the Mysteries of Fort Snelling through Archaeology
Author: Jeremy L. Nienow

As a related write up to Matt Flueger’s “The Lost Barracks and the Twenty-Fifth US Infantry Regiment” article, author Jeremy Nienow shares a short history about the archaeological work at Fort Snelling over many decades. Nienow explains how traditional excavation techniques and emerging high-tech methods have helped archaeologists uncover information that has continuously revealed more about the fort and helped the Minnesota Historical Society develop the historic site. As MNHS prepares to open a new visitor center in an old 1904 barracks in 2022, it’s clear that there are more mysteries to be solved—excavations that revealed unexpected artifacts, a previously unknown building, evidence of a fire, and the location of a long “lost barracks.” And the work continues. As Nienow says in his article, “There is always another shovel test to be placed at Fort Snelling.”
PDF of J. Nienow article