Ramsey County History – Summer 1993: “Birth, Death and Reincarnation—The Story of Fort Snelling and Its State Park”

Birth, Death and Reincarnation—The Story of Fort Snelling and Its State Park

Author: Samuel H. Morgan

Completed in 1820, then retired and recommissioned a few times over the next century and a quarter, Fort Snelling faced destruction with the building of a new freeway, cloverleaf interchange, and bridge over the Mississippi in the late 1950s. In 1956 the Minnesota Historical Society and history-minded citizens joined to propose creation of Fort Snelling State Park. It took adept politicking to get the land acquired from the federal government, persuasive fundraising to get the needed money, and skillful restoration to create the historical attraction of the frontier-era fort.

PDF of Morgan article