Fort Snelling, historic site, on a W bluff above the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, Hennipen co., SE Minn., 7 mi/11.3 km SSE of Minneapolis, and 7 mi/11.3 km SW of St. Paul, in Fort Snelling Park, at E edge of Minneapolis–St. Paul Internatl. Airport; 45°53'N 93°10'W. It served as a regional protective barrier and as a nucleus for settlement. Minneapolis and St. Paul grew N and E of the fort, beginning in the mid-1800s; now partially restored. Fort Snelling Natl. Cemetery to S. Est. 1820.
