Fort Snelling's round tower

Fort Snelling State Park is a Minnesota state park at the the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Its most notable feature is the historic Fort Snelling, which dates from 1820. The park was opened in 1962. State nickname: North Star State, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, The Gopher State Official languages None Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) Senators Mark Dayton (D) Norm Coleman (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 12th 225,365 km² 8. ... This is a list of Minnesota state parks. ... This page is about the river in the United States; there is also a Canadian Mississippi River (Ontario). ... The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the state of Minnesota in the United States. ... Fort Snelling is a former military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers in Hennepin County, Minnesota. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

As of 2005, the park hosts 400,000 visitors annually and contains the restored fort, a visitor's center, eighteen miles of cross-country skiing trails, eighteen miles of hiking trails, and five miles of biking trails. Rental facilities for golfing and boating are available. 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ... Beautiful natural scenes are common hiking destinations Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ...

History

During the 1950s, the state government had planned to build a freeway interchange and bridge over the site of the fort, prompting concerned locals and Russell W. Fridley, director of the Minnesota Historical Society, to call a meeting to examine how to prserve the fort. Eventually, the state agreed to build a tunnel underneath the fort, thus preserving the old structures. In 1960, A.R. Nichols, a landscape architect, submitted plans for a 2,400 acre park on the site. Based on a much earlier plan, this design would become the basis for the final form of the park. Interested citizens organized the Fort Snelling State Park Association, putting money and public relations effort into the promotion of the park's establishment. While there was widespread support for preserving the old fortifications, some local landowners were unenthused about plans to purchase additional lands, claiming that the price the government proposed to pay was not adequate. In response, the Park Association began to raise funds privately to buy out at least some of the owners. A second consideration was whether or not the federal government would grant the actual fort property to the state as surplus land. The Minnesota Historical Society is a Minnesota instutution dedicated to preserving the history of the state. ...

On the last day of the 1961 legislative session, a $65,000 appropriation was made and the park's boundaries were set (on a much smaller scale than can be seen today) so as to acquire the federal land. On October 29, the federal government donated 320 acres of land, including portions of the fort, to the State of Minnesota under the 1944 Surplus Property Act. The park was officially opened on June 3, 1962. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... An acre is an English unit of area. ...

The restoration of the fort had begun as early as 1957, and with the establishment of the park, such efforts received new momentum. Old plans were found in the National Archives and the state legislature granted regular appropriations to fund the project until 1979. Limestone to match the original building material was taken from lands owned by the City of Saint Paul and the Webb Publishing Company. Eventually, the remaining half of the fort, which had been occupied by the Department of Veterans Affairs was also donated to the park and restoration of the entire fort could proceed. Structures including walls, the round tower, barracks, the commandant's house, gatehouse, magazine, school, and others were either restored or rebuilt to 19th-century condition. Workers went so far as to recreate the rough trowel tuckpointing of the original stone blocks. Controversially, WPA murals from the 1930s were removed from the interior of the tower. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The City of Saint Paul State capitol building in Saint Paul Motto: Nickname: Location in Ramsey County, Minnesota Founded Incorporated 1851 1854  County Ramsey County Borough Parrish Mayor Chris Coleman (DFL) Area  - Total  - Water 145. ... The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for administering programs of veterans benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. ... The Works Progress Administration (later Works Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 with the signing of Executive Order 7034. ...

Links

• Fort Snelling State Park @ National Park Service
• Fort Snelling State Park @ Minesota Department of Natural Resources

References

• Morgan, Samuel H. "Birth, Death, and Reincarnation: The Story of Fort Snelling and Its State Park." Ramsey County History, Vol. 28, No. 2. Summer 1993. pp 4-12, 27