Old Fort Snelling, 1819-1858

by Marcus L. Hansen

Old Fort Snelling, 1819-1858 is a historical book written by Marcus Lee Hansen and published in 1918. The book provides a comprehensive account of the early days of Fort Snelling, which was established in 1819 as a military outpost in the Minnesota Territory. Hansen's work covers the period from the fort's founding until 1858, when it was decommissioned. The book explores the history of Fort Snelling in great detail, including its construction, strategic significance, and the daily lives of those who lived and worked there. Hansen delves into the key events that occurred at the fort, such as the Dakota War of 1862 and the Mexican-American War. He also provides insight into the interactions between the military personnel stationed at the fort and the Native American tribes in the area.Hansen's work is based on extensive research and includes a wealth of primary source material, including letters, diaries, and official reports. The book is written in a clear and engaging style, making it accessible to both scholars and general readers interested in the history of the American West. Overall, Old Fort Snelling, 1819-1858 is an important contribution to the field of American history and provides a valuable insight into the early days of Fort Snelling and its role in shaping the history of the Minnesota Territory.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

Reviews

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of incredible breadth, and handily organized by broad topic, this is perhaps the most rigorously sourced and indexed history of Fort Snelling and the surrounding area I've read yet, but it nonetheless is from an era (1918) just far enough removed to be a full standard deviation more objective than accounts from 40 to 60 years earlier, but not quite so far as to have much authorial sympathy for the ill-reputed characters that belong in any complete history of the place, or quite as much interest in the agency of Native players that a 21st century reader would hope for.

It's best used as a guide to finding the real primary sources, with the text itself serving only as a series of abstracts for the multitude of "real deal" reminiscences and correspondence listed in the back. Now, to see if the Minnesota Historical Society still lets an average caller page through the bound remnants of Maj. Taliaferro's personal diary...