HISTORIC FORT SNELLING PART ONE: 

REENACTMENTS AND THE

 COMMANDANT’S HOUSE

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit Historic Fort Snelling.  Even though I’ve lived in Minneapolis for a number of years now, this was my first opportunity to visit there, and I was quite impressed.

Early 20th century barracks seen then . . .

. . . now, line the walkway to the fort.

The sentinel standing guard at the gate.

Following the War of 1812, the Army founded Fort St. Anthony in 1819 and the fort was constructed between 1820 and 1824 on the site near where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers join.  Following it’s completion it was renamed Fort Snelling in honor of its commander.

The U.S. troupes . . .

. . . and British forces prepare for battle.

The enemy approaches.

The victors stand firm.

As a frontier post its soldiers tried to restrict commercial use of the rivers to only U.S. citizens, and to protect legitimate travelers and traders.  They kept American Indian lands free of white settlers until treaties would permit it, and also tried to keep the peace between the Ojibwe and Sioux (Dakota) tribes.

The Commandant's House.

As you enter the center parade grounds of the fort, the commandant’s home can be seen at the far end.  Today it has been restored by the Minnesota Historical Society, which maintains the fort.  The home is a lovely two stories, with Kitchen and pantry facilities located in the basement.  That lower level also houses the Regional Headquarters and the Commandant’s office.

View from the second story of the Commandant's house.

The basement kitchen.

While we were there, we were able to watch a couple of the reenactments of scrimmages between the U.S. and British troupes, complete with canon fire.  Given that we were there on the Fourth of July, these reenactments only served to enhance the festive mood of the day.