Military Wiki

Fort Snelling, originally known as Fort Saint Anthony, was a military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota River and Mississippi River 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.

History[]

Origins[]

Lieutenant Zebulon Pike in 1805 acquired Pike's Purchase, 100,000 acres (400 km²) of land in the area. Significant settlement began in the late 1810s. Following the War of 1812, the federal War Department 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. Colonel Josiah Snelling commanded the 5th Infantry Regiment (United States). Its soldiers constructed the original Fort Saint Anthony from 1820 to 1824. During construction, most soldiers lived at Camp Coldwater, which provided drinking water to the fort throughout the 19th century. The post surgeon began recording meteorological observations at Fort Saint Anthony in January 1820, beginning one of the longest near-continuous weather records in the country. Upon its completion in 1825, the Army renamed the fort as 'Fort Snelling in honor of its commander and architect.

Frontier post[]

Casper wild

Fort Snelling in 1844, by John Caspar Wild (Minnesota Historical Society)

The soldiers at the northwestern frontier outposts denied persons other than citizens of United States of America commercial use of the rivers, kept American Indian lands free of white settlement until treaties permitted it, enforced law and order, and protected legitimate travelers and traders. [citation needed] At Fort Snelling, the garrison also attempted to keep the peace between the Ojibwe and Sioux (Dakota) people.[1] Colonel Snelling suffered from chronic dysentery, and bouts of the illness made him susceptible to anger. Recalled to Washington, he left Fort Snelling in September 1827. Colonel Snelling died in summer 1828 from complications due to dysentery and a "brain fever."

Fort Snelling Complex

1850 administration building

In 1830 Fort Snelling was the birth place of the famous Confederate lieutenant John Taylor Wood who was the first white child born in Minnesota. Wood served on board the famous Merrimack at the Battle of Hampton Roads.[2]

John Emerson purchased the slave Dred Scott in Saint Louis, Missouri, but he later worked at Fort Snelling and lived at the fort with Dred and Harriet Scott during much of the 1830s. Missouri Compromise then made slavery illegal in Minnesota Territory. Life of Dred Scott in Minnesota led to the infamous United States Supreme court case Dred Scott v. Sandford.

First Fort Snelling Bridge

Bridge linking Ft. Snelling with St. Paul, 1880–1912

The establishment and population of towns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota diminished the need for a forward frontier military post in the region. The Army sold Fort Snelling to Franklin Steele in 1858 for $90,000. (Fortunately for Steele, the deal included 8000 acres (32 km²) later annexed into south Minneapolis.)[3]

Civil War and afterwards[]

During the American Civil War, however, Franklin Steele leased Fort Snelling back to the War Department for use as an induction station, where over 24,000 recruits from Minnesota were trained.[4] During the Dakota War of 1862 it was used as a concentration camp, where hundreds of Dakota women, children, and elders were held captive on the river flats below the fort through the winter of 1862-63.[5] After the war, Steele leased the land around Fort Snelling to settlers, and Minneapolis began to expand into the fort's surroundings.[6] United States Army regulars meanwhile returned to Fort Snelling. The fort dispatched forces to protect the interests of the colonizers on the frontier from the Dakota people, west to the Rocky Mountains. Soldiers from Fort Snelling fought in the Indian Wars and the Spanish American War of 1898.[1]

Fort Snelling Minnesota from bar opposite 1889

The fort in 1889

Through World War II, the War Department chose Fort Snelling as the location for the Military Intelligence Service Language School to teach the Japanese language to Army personnel. The War Department constructed scores of buildings for housing and teaching, and the school processed three hundred thousand soldiers.[1][3]

Second decommissioning[]

The War Department decommissioned Fort Snelling on 12 October 1946, and various federal agencies took parcels from the grounds of the old fort. The majority of the structures fell into disrepair. In 1960, it was listed as a National Historic Landmark.[7][8] Fort Snelling nevertheless continued to serve as headquarters of United States Army Reserve 205th Infantry Brigade comprised three light infantry battalions and attached field artillery, cavalry, air defense artillery, combat engineers, and supporting logistics units throughout the Upper Midwest. The Defense Department deactivated this role in 1994 as a part of force-structure eliminations. Over the decades, the Army interred many deceased Minnesotan soldiers and other members of the United States Armed Forces at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Some military facilities continue to operate around old Fort Snelling. The Minnesota Historical Society meanwhile converted the area of the original walled fort into an educational establishment, rebuilt to resemble its original appearance, and staffed during the spring, summer and early fall with costumed personnel interpreting life at the early post. Although restoring and re-creating the original fort assures its survival as a historical artifact for the foreseeable future, many briefly used buildings of the fort gradually fell into serious disrepair and neglect. In May 2006, National Trust for Historic Preservation added Upper Post of Fort Snelling to its list of "America's Most Endangered Places." Some restoration on historic Fort Snelling, however, continues underway: crews removed the flagpole from the iconic round tower and will placed it in the ground, a change since its opening as a historic fort. The United States Navy named an amphibious warfare ship USS Fort Snelling (LSD-30) to honor the fort.

Geography[]

Fortsnellinggrounds

A view of the grounds of Fort Snelling taken from the round tower

The fort is located on Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory, an unincorporated area and division of Hennepin County lying just east of the city of Richfield. It is also adjacent to the cities of Minneapolis, Bloomington, Saint Paul (across the Mississippi River), and Mendota Heights (across the Minnesota River). The fort is located at the eastern end of the territory, near the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Minnesota River.

Firing the cannon at Fort Snelling
(View in high quality)

Fort Snelling unorganized territory contains numerous military and other federal facilities. These facilities include historic Fort Snelling, its cemetery, and the Minneapolis Veterans Health Administration Medical Center. Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, however, includes most of the land area of the unorganized territory. According to the United States Census Bureau, this unorganized territory has a total area of 17.2 km² (6.7 mi²). 16.5 km² (6.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water.

Demographics[]

As of the census[9] of 2000, 442 people reside in the unorganized territory. The population density is 26.8/km² (69.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the unorganized territory is 94.57% White, 3.62% Black or African American, 1.36% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, and 0.23% of other races. 0.45% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The population is spread out with 4.5% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 62.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 69 years.

Males had a median income of $43,558 versus $0 for females. The per capita income is $24,328. None of the population is below the poverty line.

Airport and economy[]

Fort Snelling Round Tower large

View of the Round Tower. The flag is at half-mast because former American President Ronald Reagan had died just prior to the day the photograph was taken.

Delta Air Lines Building C is located on the property of Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and in Fort Snelling.[10][11][12][13] Delta uses it for northern and regional operations.[14]

In 2009, as Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines merged, Delta removed all employees from Building A, the previous headquarters of Northwest in Eagan, and all employees who remained in the Minneapolis were moved to Building C, which was renovated.[15] Facilities within the building include the Compass Airlines corporate headquarters, which moved there on December 16, 2009.[16] the Regional Elite Airline Services headquarters,[17] and Delta SkyBonus offices.[18]

Prior to its disestablishment, Republic Airlines (1979-1986) had its headquarters in Building C.[14][19] At one time Mesaba Airlines had its headquarters in the Fort Snelling UT.[11][20] At one time MAIR Holdings had its headquarters in the UT.[21]

See also[]

References[]

Upper post-6-15-06j

Barracks. Last occupied during World War II

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Historic Fort Snelling: A Brief History of Fort Snelling". Minnesota Historical Society. http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/hfs. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 
  2. Winstead, 2009
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Fort Snelling State Park Upper Bluff Reuse Study" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. November 1998. http://wwwa.co.hennepin.mn.us/files/HCInternet/EPandT/Community%20Development/Economic%20Development/Fort%20Snelling%20Upper%20Bluff%20Reuse%20Study%20with%202006%20updates%20Part%20I.pdf. 
  4. "The Civil War". Historic Fort Snelling. Minnesota Historical Society. http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/history/military-history/civil-war. Retrieved July 6, 2013. 
  5. "Forced Marches & Imprisonment". The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Minnesota Historical Society. http://usdakotawar.org/history/aftermath/forced-marches-imprisonment. Retrieved July 6, 2013. 
  6. "Urban Connections - Minneapolis". USDA Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/urban_connections/Cities/Minneapolis/. Retrieved 2007-05-29. 
  7. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nhlsum
  8. Marilynn Larew (March 15, 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort Snelling" (PDF). National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000401.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-21.  and Accompanying 29 images, including photos from late 1880s to 1977. PDF (6.55 MB)
  9. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  10. "delta air lines' farmers market-building c." Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Retrieved on January 19, 2012. "Location: MSP Airport-Delta Building C, North Side near Compass Airlines Entrance"
  11. 11.0 11.1 "Fort Snelling UT, Hennepin county, Minnesota." (Archive) U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on December 19, 2009.
  12. "Expanded Branch and ATM Access Comes to the Twin Cities." Wings Financial. Retrieved on January 19, 2012. "Delta Air Lines Bldg. C* 7500 Airline Drive Minneapolis, MN"
  13. "Blood Drive | Delta Air Lines Bldg C." Memorial Blood Centers. Retrieved on January 19, 2012. "Street: 7500 Airline Drive City: Bloomington State: Minnesota Country: USA"
  14. 14.0 14.1 Niemela, Jennifer. "Delta reaches deal on Minnesota jobs." Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Tuesday December 16, 2008. Retrieved on January 19, 2012.
  15. Grayson, Katharine. "Delta CEO: We'll consolidate MSP office space." Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Friday June 12, 2009. Last modified on Monday June 15, 2009. Retrieved on January 19, 2012.
  16. "About Us." Compass Airlines. Retrieved on December 18, 2009. "7500 Airline Drive Suite 130 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55450"
  17. "CR-7010-Docket.pdf." Unity and Strength For Workers. Retrieved on January 19, 2012. "Regional Elite Airline Services 7500 Airline Drive C079 Minneapolis, MN 55450-1101"
  18. "Contact us." Delta SkyBonus. Retrieved on January 19, 2012. "SkyBonus® MS3-746 7500 Airline Drive Minneapolis, MN 55450"
  19. "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 111.
  20. "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 23–29, 1994. 106. "Head office: 7501 26th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55450, USA"
  21. "2001 Annual Report." MAIR Holdings. Retrieved on August 16, 2011. " 7501 26th Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55450"

Other sources[]

Further reading[]

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Fort Snelling and the edit history here.