The National Trust for Historic Preservation today named “Bdote Fort Snelling” a National Treasure, bringing a national spotlight to a historic place which reveals the richness of the American story.

Bdote Fort Snelling is the first National Treasure designated by the National Trust in the state of Minnesota.

This designation by the nation’s leading preservation organization is in recognition of the site’s connections to Native American history, its role as a military post during the 19th and 20th centuries, and its connection to several significant events in American history, from the Dred Scott decision to the Japanese language school that was part of the World War II effort.  The National Trust chose the name Bdote Fort Snelling because of its location at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

“Bdote Fort Snelling connects us to and helps us tell the story of several chapters of history in North America,” said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “From the first humans who walked this area thousands of years ago, to the military families who called this place home until just a few decades ago, this sacred site helps us understand the breadth of human experience in North America.”

Bdote Fort Snelling’s history stretches back several millennia. It is believed that the first humans entered the area 10,000 years ago. “Bdote” is a Dakota word, meaning ‘where the two waters come together.’ Many Dakota people regard this meeting of waters as their spiritual and cultural point of origin, the place where “the Dakota people began.”

“We fully understand that not all of the events that occurred here were positive, particularly the Native American experience in this area,” Meeks continued. “In restoring Bdote Fort Snelling, we hope to capture the site’s complex history so that future generations fully understand the lessons it has to teach. We look forward to engaging a broad coalition of partners in the campaign to revitalize this important place.”

Bdote Fort Snelling is a significant place that helps tell the complex — and sometimes painful — story of centuries of Native American, Minnesota and American history.  It includes the entire area known as Fort Snelling: The Upper Post, Historic Fort Snelling, Fort Snelling State Park, Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Coldwater Spring and the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

Fort Snelling was established by the US government in 1820 and named for Colonel Josiah Snelling, who oversaw its initial construction and served as its first commander from 1820-1827.

Beginning in the late 1800s, dozens of new buildings were constructed on the Fort’s upper bluff for military training, supplies, housing and administration. While the original 1820s fortification, known as Historic Fort Snelling, is a popular destination for tourists, other parts of the Bdote Fort Snelling area have had relatively little attention for the past several decades.