Fort Snelling, Minnesota
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Fort Snelling
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Fort Snelling's round tower
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| Location | Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA |
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| Nearest city | Across Mississippi River from Saint Paul, at 7th Street Bridge, St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 44°53′34″N 93°10′50″W / 44.89278°N 93.18056°WCoordinates: 44°53′34″N 93°10′50″W / 44.89278°N 93.18056°W |
| Built | 1819 |
| Architect | Colonel Josiah Snelling |
| Website | http://www.historicfortsnelling.org |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000401 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 15 October 1966 |
| Designated NHL | 19 December 1960 |
Fort Snelling, originally known as Fort Saint Anthony, was a military fortification located at the confluence of Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a National Park Service unit, includes historic Fort Snelling.
Fort Snelling also refers to an unorganized territory in Hennepin County, Minnesota, containing the former fortification. The Census in 2000 enumerated a total population of 442.
The Minnesota Historical Society now runs the fort, located atop a bluff along the river. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources runs Fort Snelling State Park, protecting the land at the bottom of the bluff. Fort Snelling once encompassed both parcels.
The fort is a National Historic Landmark and has been named a "national treasure" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Lieutenant Zebulon Pike in 1805 acquired Pike's Purchase for the United States, comprising 100,000 acres (400 km²) of land in the area. Significant settlement began in the late 1810s. Following the War of 1812, the United States Department of War built a chain of forts and installed Indian agents between Lake Michigan and the Missouri River. These forts primarily protected the northwestern territories from Canadian and British encroachment. The Army founded Fort Saint Anthony in 1819.
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