Why You Should Go...
Strategically located on a bluff at the confluence of the Mississippi rivers, Fort Snelling has a complex history. This was a place of major social, cultural, and historical significance to all people who have inhabited the region. With over 10,000 years of human history, this is a place where complex stories of many peoples converge.
Visitors to the fort interact with re-enactors that describe the history and the lives of the people who lived, visited, and traded here. Watch drilling soldiers in period uniforms, talk to the blacksmith, listen to stories, and experience the thunder of a cannon. The restored fort is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.
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Why You Should Go...
Strategically located on a bluff at the confluence of the Mississippi rivers, Fort Snelling has a complex history. This was a place of major social, cultural, and historical significance to all people who have inhabited the region. With over 10,000 years of human history, this is a place where complex stories of many peoples converge.
Visitors to the fort interact with re-enactors that describe the history and the lives of the people who lived, visited, and traded here. Watch drilling soldiers in period uniforms, talk to the blacksmith, listen to stories, and experience the thunder of a cannon. The restored fort is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.
What You Should Know...
Open:
Seasonally: May, June, July, August, September, October
Cost: Less than $25
Discounts: Children, Seniors, Students, Military
Access: Wheelchair, Public Transportation, Service Animals
Parking: Free On-site
Available: Self-Guided Tour, Guided Tour, Kids Activities, Changing Station, Wheelchairs, Gift Shop
Extra Fun...
Fun Facts
During the Civil War, Minnesota used the fort to train volunteers that wanted to join the Union Army. The fort was also used as a supply base for the Dakota Territory and a training center for soldiers assigned to the Indian Campaigns, the Spanish American War, and World Wars I and II.
The fort was designated in 1960 as Minnesota's first National Historic Landmark. Since then, Historic Fort Snelling has been rebuilt and maintained by both private and public funding and is managed by the Minnesota Historical Society.
The confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers is a sacred place to Dakota people, called Bdote, which continues to be home to the Indigenous people who were here long before the US Army first arrived.