Early Settlement

Eastern Minnesota became part of the United States in 1783 and was included in the Northwest Territory four years later. The British, however, continued their fur trade in Minnesota until after the War of 1812.

In 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase, western Minnesota became part of the United States. It successively was a part of Louisiana, Missouri, and Michigan territories. The entire area was then included in Wisconsin and Iowa territories before Minnesota Territory was created in 1849.

In the meantime Zebulon Pike had led an exploration party up the Mississippi and had chosen a site for an outpost. Fort St. Anthony (later Fort Snelling) was established at the mouth of the Minnesota River in 1819, and became the center of early settlement.

Henry H. Sibley, agent of the American Fur Company, established headquarters in 1834 at Mendota, across the river from Fort Snelling. For two decades great caravans of ox carts carried furs from the Red River Valley to his trading post. Just north of Mendota a community that came to be known as St. Paul grew so rapidly that it was made the territorial capital in 1849.