Highland Park in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Settling the Frontier
Photographed by McGhiever, September 10, 2023
1. Settling the Frontier Marker
Inscription.
Settling the Frontier. . , When I reached the brink of the hill overlooking the surrounding country, I was struck with the picturesque beauty of the scene., Henry H. Sibley,
Fort Snelling. The modern history of the area surrounding this overlook is linked to Fort Snelling, which can be seen directly across the Mississippi River. Named for its builder, Colonel Josiah Snelling, the fort was completed in 1825 by the United States government as the northwest link in a chain of Indian agencies and supporting forts in the valuable northwest frontier. The fort's perch, high above the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, was a good position to control traffic and commerce on these two major water-highways.,
Civilians and Soldiers. A few settler-immigrants from Canada, former voyageurs and traders-were allowed to live on military land just north of the fort at Camp Coldwater and sold dairy products and vegetables to the soldiers. Joseph Turpin built the first cabin near this site. Most of the settlers farmed, although Turpin and a few others opened saloons for the bored and thirsty soldiers at the fort. The saloons were so successful that this area became known as "Rum Town". Soon soldiers were being court-martialed for drunkenness and the saloons were competing with the fort for valuable timber and firewood. In 1839, President Martin Van Buren gave the United States military permission to evict the inhabitants of Rum Town and burn their buildings. The civilians then moved down river to the area that later became the city of Saint Paul. In 1854, when the United States government sold 4,500 acres of unoccupied military land at public auction for $1.25 per acre, civilians returned to the area as landowners. This area is now known as the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods of Saint Paul.,
River Crossing. A government-owned rope ferry, crossing the Mississippi River just below this site, began operation in 1844. Samuel Findley was allowed to build a cabin near where Turpin's saloon had been in exchange for his agreement to operate the ferry. A steep road, now an entry to Hidden Falls Park, was cut to provide access from the bluff to the ferry slip. Findley transported settlers, soldiers, and wagons across the river until his death in 1855. Franklin Steele operated the ferry until just after the first bridge was built in 1880. A new bridge, designed for motor and streetcar traffic, was built in 1909. That bridge was dismantled in the early 1960s and replaced with the current Minnesota Highway 5 Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1965. The abutment of the 1909 bridge was preserved and serves as the foundation for this overlook.,
The West End. With the completion of the bridge to Fort Snelling in 1880, the west end of Saint Paul became a tourist stop for immigrants in Saint Paul's growing industrial and shopping center. In 1886, the Fort Snelling Hotel opened near the east end of the bridge and the first streetcar started service. Newlyweds honeymooned here, taking bike trips to Minnehaha Falls and going north to see the torrent of Saint Anthony Falls. The West End became a place where hard-working people could experience the wilderness within reach of the city. Today, the parklands before us preserve much of the original river views enjoyed by those early visitors.
When I reached the brink of the hill overlooking the surrounding country, I was struck with the picturesque beauty of the scene. Henry H. Sibley
Fort Snelling
The modern history of the area surrounding this overlook is linked to Fort Snelling, which can be seen directly across the Mississippi River. Named for its builder, Colonel Josiah Snelling, the fort was completed in 1825 by the United States government as the northwest link in a chain of Indian agencies and supporting forts in the valuable northwest frontier. The fort's perch, high above the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, was a good position to control traffic and commerce on these two major water-highways.
Civilians and Soldiers
A few settler-immigrants from Canada, former voyageurs and traders-were allowed to live on military land just north of the fort at Camp Coldwater and sold dairy products and vegetables to the soldiers. Joseph Turpin built the first cabin near this site. Most of the settlers farmed, although Turpin and a few others opened saloons for the bored and thirsty soldiers at the fort. The saloons were so successful
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that this area became known as "Rum Town". Soon soldiers were being court-martialed for drunkenness and the saloons were competing with the fort for valuable timber and firewood. In 1839, President Martin Van Buren gave the United States military permission to evict the inhabitants of Rum Town and burn their buildings. The civilians then moved down river to the area that later became the city of Saint Paul. In 1854, when the United States government sold 4,500 acres of unoccupied military land at public auction for $1.25 per acre, civilians returned to the area as landowners. This area is now known as the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods of Saint Paul.
River Crossing
A government-owned rope ferry, crossing the Mississippi River just below this site, began operation in 1844. Samuel Findley was allowed to build a cabin near where Turpin's saloon had been in exchange for his agreement to operate the ferry. A steep road, now an entry to Hidden Falls Park, was cut to provide access from the bluff to the ferry slip. Findley transported settlers, soldiers, and wagons across the river until his death in 1855. Franklin
Photographed by McGhiever, September 10, 2023
2. Settling the Frontier Marker (left) at the Two Rivers Overlook
Steele operated the ferry until just after the first bridge was built in 1880. A new bridge, designed for motor and streetcar traffic, was built in 1909. That bridge was dismantled in the early 1960s and replaced with the current Minnesota Highway 5 Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1965. The abutment of the 1909 bridge was preserved and serves as the foundation for this overlook.
The West End
With the completion of the bridge to Fort Snelling in 1880, the west end of Saint Paul became a tourist stop for immigrants in Saint Paul's growing industrial and shopping center. In 1886, the Fort Snelling Hotel opened near the east end of the bridge and the first streetcar started service. Newlyweds honeymooned here, taking bike trips to Minnehaha Falls and going north to see the torrent of Saint Anthony Falls. The West End became a place where hard-working people could experience the wilderness within reach of the city. Today, the parklands before us preserve much of the original river views enjoyed by those early visitors.
Location. 44° 53.747′ N, 93° 10.72′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Highland Park. It is at the intersection of Mississippi River Boulevard and Crosby Farm Road, on the right when traveling east on Mississippi River Boulevard. The marker is at the Two Rivers Overlook. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2711 Shepard Road, Saint Paul MN 55116, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 11, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
