How many acres is fort snelling

Located east of the fort was an American Fur Company trading post and south of the fort was a Columbia Fur Company trading post. The fort was abandoned in and sold in along with 8, acres of land to Franklin Steele, a former sutler. Fort Snelling was leased back from the private owner and reactivated in as a state volunteer training center during the U.

Civil War. The post was home to some 25, Union soldiers during the conflict. Federal troops returned after the war in , making the post the headquarters of the vast Military Department of Dakota.

The troops at Fort Snelling were active in the Indian Wars of the second half of the 19th century. The new Headquarters required a rapid expansion of the post and the old walled fort was no longer big enough to house the number of troops required. The post was expanded into a new area that became known as the Upper Post. Much of this expansion took place in and The result was a typical open plan post of that era.

Four Large, two company brick barracks were built in a line along the east side of what is now known as Taylor Avenue in On the west side of Taylor avenue was a line of 10 sets of officer quarters with one set being the post commander's quarters. The officers quarters were built in stages, the initial set of 5 in and a second set of 4 in and a single duplex in not clear if this was replacement construction. By a Bachelor Officers Quarters, a bakery, a fire station, a guardhouse, a post hospital and a dead house had been constructed.

Additional barracks and infrastructure were built circa to support cavalry and artillery companies but they no longer remain. The post was used as a recruitment and training depot during World War I and again was forced to expand to accommodate the large numbers of troops being sent overseas. Large numbers of temporary wooden barracks were built in the area near the present day Minneapolis-St. Paul Regional Airport. The brick barracks built in were used as a junior officer training school.

The post hospital became U. General Hospital 29 and housed returning wounded soldiers. After the war the active U. Army shrunk drastically and many forts were put in caretaker or near caretaker status. Fort Snelling continued as an active post but with a greatly reduced garrison and little funding for maintenance and improvements.

Congress passed legislation in that designated a portion of the Fort Snelling Military Reservation as a national cemetery. The entire site, administered by the U. Department of Veterans Affairs, comprises acres and remains the final resting place for over , service men and women. This information provided from HistoricFortSnelling. Click Here to Search.

Monday thru Friday a. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays a. October — April Monday thru Friday a. Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Office Hours Monday thru Friday a. FFFS Sponsors. During the construction of Fort Snelling U. By , construction of the fort had been completed and soldiers had moved from Coldwater into the fort. The area around the spring, continued to attract traders, Native Americans, and a small village developed that serviced the trade at the site.

The spring also continued to provide water to the new fort and the later Upper Post. The fort initially relied on horse-drawn water wagons and eventually railcars to deliver water from Coldwater Spring up until the s. By , the fort was expanded under Secretary of War, Alexander Ramsey.

Coldwater served as the water source for the Army until the s when the Army turned to the City of Saint Paul to supply water for the fort. The upper post at Fort Snelling will soon be redeveloped into affordable housing. This community, consisting of 26 different buildings, will feature 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom apartments. The Upper Post Flats will include amenities such as a pool, club room, business center, fitness center, playground and more.

Construction is slated to begin in the fall of It was the site of the Japanese language school for the entire U. Together these lineal descendants of patriots of the American Revolution honor their heritage as well as make a difference through their focus on Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism Support of Veterans. Plans are underway to support the bicentennial by restoring and rededicating historical DAR plaques at the Fort and creating a memorial to the soldiers of Fort Snelling.

The Daughters of the American Revolution DAR is one of the largest patriotic women's organizations in the world; DAR has more than , members in approximately 3, chapters across the country and several foreign countries. DAR members promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism via commemorative events, scholarships and educational initiatives, citizenship programs, service to veterans, meaningful community service, and more. For additional information about DAR and its relevant mission, visit www.

To commemorate the bicentennial of Historic Fort Snelling, the Friends of Fort Snelling is embarking on a major initiative to reintroduce this dramatic National Landmark to Minnesotans and history lovers worldwide.

Fort Snelling was named a National treasure in April Watch Presentation. Bi-Centennial Commemorative Video Series. People and Stories. Social Media. About Us. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Bi-Centennial Documentary! Commemorating Years of History.