A History of St. Paul, Minnesota

If you are interested in visiting the beautiful state of Minnesota, more than likely you are going to want to stop in the city of St. Paul while you are there. Lying on the banks of the Mississippi River, this is a large city that has a lot to offer. Of course before you visit, knowing a bit of the history of St. Paul, Minnesota is a great idea. Here's a closer look at St. Paul, MN, it's history, and a bit on what you can expect if you visit the city today.

Take a look around the city, especially up on Dayton's Bluff at Indian Mounds Park, and you'll see the Indian burial mounds that are there. These mounds have led to the belief that around 2000 years in the past, the area that is now the city of St. Paul was once inhabited by Native Americans. Later in the 1600's through 1837, a tribe of Sioux Indians, know as the Mdewakanton, had left their home and then lived in the area. Because of the white cliffs of sandstone that are easily seen, they named the place I-mni-za ska dan, which means "little white rock."

Later after the Louisiana Purchase was made, Zebulon Pike, who was an officer in the army negotiated in order to get about 100K acres from tribes in the area so he could set up a fort. The territory that he received was on the Mississippi River, on both of its' banks. In 1819, Fort Snelling was constructed, and then in 1837, a new treaty was come to with the Sioux Indians, which gave all the land that was on the eastern side of the Mississippi River to the government off the United States.

Many explorers, fur traders, and even missionaries began to come to the area because of all the protection that the fort offered against Indians. Many of those who came to the area were French Canadian. The whiskey trade was very profitable, but the officers of the fort banned those in the business from the lands that were actually controlled by the fort. One fur trader, Pierre Parrant, became a bootlegger and he set up a tavern of his own, which was near what is not Lambert's Landing, which was then called the Pig's Eye Tavern. Soon the area became known as "Pig's Eye."

Father Lucien Galtier was later sent as a missionary to the area in 1841. He set up a chapel that was located up on the bluffs and he named it for his favorite saint, who was the Apostle Paul. He wanted the community to take up the name St. Paul to honor the chapel he set up. Just a few years later, Harriet Bishop, an educator from New York would come to the area and start the very first school in the city. Then in 1857 the Minnesota Territory came into being and St. Paul was named as the capital of the territory.

Soon the city became a gateway for those wanting to come to the Minnesota frontier and for those who wanted to go on into the Dakota Territory. Steamboats made this all possible. At this point in time, the city of St. Paul was known as the "Last City of the East." Soon the railway was expanded as well and James  J. Hill, who had the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway had them headquartered in the city of St. Paul as well.

In the early 1900s, bad tornadoes went through the area, damaging many of the buildings in downtown St. Paul. In fact, even parts of the High Bridge were ripped away. Later in the 1960s, western neighborhoods were razed, and one neighborhood was totally demolished when interstate 94 was being constructed.

In the 1970's, skyscrapers began to appear in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, and then the tallest buildings that are in the city were put up in the 1980s. Three of the tallest buildings you'll find in St. Paul, MN include The Point of St. Paul condos, Galtier Plaza,  and the Wells Fargo Place, which is the tallest building in the city and it was originally the Minnesota World Trade Center.

Today the city of St. Paul continues to grow. More and more immigrant groups have become a part of the culture, including immigrants from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and even Cambodia.

Now that you understand a bit more about the history of St. Paul, Minnesota, you will definitely have more appreciation for this beautiful city that has been around for quite some time. The history is old and deep, but the city continues to grow and flourish