10 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
little of it is now used. This limestone contains here and there 
fossil sea shells, which show clearly that the sandy shore of the St. 
Peter epoch finally sank and was covered by the sea. The shells of 
the animals that inhabited this sea sank to the bottom when the 
animals died and were buried in the limy mud that later became 
hardened into limestone, which preserved not only the shells but all 
the beautiful ornamentation on their surfaces. 
If the traveler can spend a day or two here instead of a few hours, 
he may take many pleasant rides by trolley or automobile into the 
surrounding country to places of historic and scenicinterest. Whether 
his visit is one of business or one of pleasure, he should not fail to 
see old Fort Snelling and the Falls of Minnehaha. Fort Snelling 
stands on the green, tree-shaded bluffs that overlook the peaceful 
valley of the Mississippi, and it is hard to realize that when it was 
established, only a few years after Zebulon M. Pike made his journey 
to the source of the Mississippi,’ it was in the heart of the Indian 
country. It is doubtful if at that time anyone dreamed that near its 
site would rise such cities as St. Paul and Minneapolis. In the 
early days Fort Snelling was the starting point of several military 
expeditions that were sent out to explore the great Northwest. 
The Falls of Minnehaha, which are about 24 miles farther north, 
offer none of the sinister suggestions of war that still linger round 
the fort; on the contrary, they have an atmosphere of love and 
romance, and the journey of Hiawatha and Minnehaha, as related 
by Longfellow, is fittingly commemorated by a bronze group at the 
head of the falls. (See Pl. II.) 
1 Soon after the acquisition from France 
of Louisiana, which included most of the 
territory west of Mississippi River, Lieut. 
Z. M. Pike was commissioned by Presi- 
dent Jefferson to explore the new terri- 
tory and to find the source of the river. 
When Pike reached the mouth of St. 
Peter (now Minnesota) River, in 1805, he 
recognized the strategic importance of 
the point for military purposes and pro- 
cured from the Indians title for the Gov- 
ernment to the land from the mouth of 
St. Peter River to and including the 
Falls of St. Anthony. In his report on 
the explorations he recommended that a 
fort be established on the bluff between 
St. Peter and Mississippi rivers. Nothing 
came of his recommendation until Feb- 
ruary 10, 1819, when John C. Calhoun, 
Secretary of War, ordered the Fifth In- 
fantry, under Col. Henry Leavenworth, 
to establish headquarters at this place. 
Col. Leavenworth reached the mouth of 
St. Peter River on September 24 of the 
same year, but instead of occupying the 
bluff recommended by Pike he camped 
across the river, where the village of 
Co. 
. The corner stone is sup- 
posed to have been laid on September 10, 
1820, and the post was occupied by the 
troops in 1822. The fort was originally 
called St. Anthony, but the name was 
changed to Snelling at the recommenda- 
tion of Gen. Winfield Scott, who visited 
it while on a tour of inspection in 1824. 
Fort Snelling has been continuously oc- 
cupied as a military post from 1822 to the 
resent time. 
