Historic Fort Snelling
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Historic Fort Snelling is a historic site in Minnesota, at a modelled elevation of 245 m. Melander Hill stands 330 m to the east, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Wokiksuye K'a Woyuonihan (Remembering and Honoring) Dakota Memorial, a historic site 0.2 miles away. Grand Rounds Scenic Byway passes 1.8 miles off. 11 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anthony, but it was renamed Fort Snelling when its construction was completed in 1825. Before the American Civil War, the U.S. Army allowed its soldiers and fur traders to bring their personal enslaved people to the fort. These included African Americans Dred Scott and Harriet Robinson Scott, who lived at the fort in the 1830s. In the 1840s, the Scotts sued for their freedom, arguing that having lived in "free territory" made them free, leading to the landmark United States Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford. Slavery ended at the fort just before Minnesota statehood in 1858. The fort served as the primary center for U.S. government forces during the Dakota War of 1862. It also was the site of the concentration camp where eastern Dakota and Ho-Chunk non-combatants awaited riverboat transport in their forced removal from Minnesota when hostilities ceased. The fort served as a recruiting station during the Civil War, Spanish–American War, and both World Wars before being decommissioned a second time in 1946. It then fell into a state of disrepair until the lower post was restored to its original appearance in 1965. At that time, all that remained of the original lower post were the round and hexagonal towers. Many of the upper post's important buildings remain today, with some still in disrepair. As of January 2026 federal buildings in the fort are being used by United States Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house federal immigration agents and equipment, and to detain protestors and immigrants targeted by federal agents in Operation Metro Surge. Multiple government agencies now own portions of the former fort, with the Minnesota Historical Society administering the Historic Fort Snelling site. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources administers Fort Snelling State Park at the bottom of the bluff. Fort Snelling once encompassed the park's land. It has been cited as a "National Treasure" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The historic fort is in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a National Park Service unit. It is in the unorganized territory of Fort Snelling within Hennepin County, bordering Ramsey and Dakota counties.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1819.
Wikidata Q480993, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 1.8 mi off the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, National
- On the Great River Road, National
- 18.6 mi off the St. Croix Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Wokiksuye K'a Woyuonihan (Remembering and Honoring) Dakota Memorial: 0.2 mi
- Saint Paul: 0.2 mi
- Minneapolis: City of Lakes: 1.3 mi
- WPA Work Camp No 1: 1.6 mi
- Daughters of the American Revolution World War I Monument: 3.5 mi
- Plank Museum & Visitor Center: 0.2 mi
- Minnesota Air National Guard Museum: 1.2 mi
- John H. Stevens House Museum: 2.0 mi
- Minnehaha Depot: 2.1 mi
- Longfellow House: 2.3 mi
- Leonard H. Neiman Sports Complex: 0.6 mi
- Homecroft Park: 0.6 mi
- Mní Ówe Sní (Coldwater Spring): 0.9 mi
- Howell Park: 1.0 mi
- Shepard Park: 1.1 mi
- Ohiyesa: 0.6 mi
- White Sculpture: 1.4 mi
- Thomson Reuters Concourse C Art Gallery: 1.4 mi
- You Are Here: 1.6 mi
- A Boreal Triad: 1.6 mi
- McDonough Preserve: 1.0 mi
- Pilot Knob Preservation Site: 1.1 mi
- Dodge Nature Center: 3.4 mi
- Dodge Nature Center: 3.9 mi
- Milkweed and Monarchs: 5.3 mi
- Longfellow Gardens: 2.3 mi
- English Garden: 2.3 mi
- Nokomis Naturescape Garden: 3.0 mi
- Dowling Community Garden: 3.0 mi
- We Garden: 3.9 mi
- Space Tower: 6.0 mi
- Carousel: 6.1 mi
- Minnesota State Fairgrounds: 6.1 mi
- Cafesjian's Carousel: 6.2 mi
- Shoe Tree: 6.3 mi
- Snelling Beach: 0.9 mi
- Lake Nokomis 50th Street Beach: 3.0 mi
- Lake Hiawatha Beach: 3.2 mi
- Lake Nokomis Main Beach: 3.3 mi
- Longfellow Beach: 3.6 mi
- Wabun C: 1.9 mi
- Wabun D: 2.0 mi
- Wabun G: 2.0 mi
- Wabun F: 2.0 mi
- Wabun A: 2.0 mi
- Pilot Knob: 1.2 mi
- Sky Hill Park Overlook: 4.6 mi
- Norwegian Hill: 9.6 mi
- Mount Gilboa: 9.8 mi
- Seminary Hill: 11.6 mi
- Hidden Falls: 1.3 mi
- Minnehaha Falls: 2.1 mi
- Shadow Falls: 3.5 mi
- Hamm’s Memorial Waterfalls: 6.4 mi
- Phalen Regional Park Waterfall: 9.1 mi
- Minnehaha Falls: 2.1 mi
- West Clay Pit: 3.7 mi
- Middle Clay Pit: 3.8 mi
- East Clay Pit: 3.9 mi
- Sand Castles: 6.7 mi
- wayside rest: 13.4 mi
- St. Croix Rest Area: 18.2 mi
- Saint Croix Weigh Station: 19.8 mi
- Elm Creek Rest Area: 20.8 mi
- New Market Rest Area - Southbound: 24.2 mi
- Coldwater Spring: 0.9 mi
- Hajduk Spring: 4.7 mi
- White Worm Springs: 9.3 mi
- Boiling Springs: 13.6 mi
- Nininger: 16.1 mi
- Point Douglas: 20.3 mi
- Garen: 24.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Historic Fort Snelling. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melander Hill | E 96° | 330 m | 23.9 mi |
| Dills Mound | ESE 110° | 320 m | 22.2 mi |
| Starks Mound | ESE 105° | 310 m | 21.8 mi |
| Bissel's Mound | E 83° | 307 m | 17.1 mi |
| Norwegian Hill | NNW 342° | 293.522 m | 9.6 mi |
| Coons Hill | ENE 75° | 268 m | 22.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:17 | 18:47 | 19:25 |
| June solstice | 05:27 | 20:18 | 21:03 |
| September equinox | 07:00 | 18:33 | 19:12 |
| December solstice | 07:48 | 15:46 | 16:35 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 16 | 21 | 33 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 74 | 72 | 64 | 50 | 35 | 22 |
| Precip in | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Minneapolis-st Paul Intl AP, 3 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
National Register of Historic Places, reference 66000401OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/154133281
Day trips start here
- Twin Cities · 4 mi
- Minneapolis/Southeast · 6 mi
- Minneapolis · 7 mi
Take the scenic way to Historic Fort Snelling.
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