Fort Snelling

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.

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 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.

Fort Snelling (Metro Transit station)

Fort Snelling is a light rail station on the Blue Line on Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota.

This station is located on Minnehaha Avenue, adjacent to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building and diagonally across from the Army Reserve campus and the main entrance to the Air National Guard station. This is a center-platform station. Service began at this station when the Blue Line opened on June 26, 2004. At that time, this was the southern terminus of the Blue Line. The remainder of the line, south of this station, opened on December 4, 2004.

This station is the site of a large park and ride facility. There are two parking lots, making a total of about 975 spaces available to commuters.

Just north of this station the Blue Line crosses the interchange of Minnesota State Highway 55 and Minnesota State Highway 62 on a flyover. Just south of this station, the line has a third track in the center which was used primarily for the LRVs to switch tracks when this station was the terminus of the line.