American Art Collaborative

“At this place, on the point of land between the Mississippi and the St. Peters rivers, the United States' Government have erected a strong Fort, which has taken the name of Fort Snelling, from the name of a distinguished and most excellent officer of that name, who superintended the building of it. The site of this Fort is one of the most judicious that could have been selected in the country, both for health and defence; and being on an elevation of 100 feet or more above the water, has an exceedingly bold and picturesque effect. This Fort is generally occupied by a regiment of men placed here to keep the peace amongst the Sioux and Chippeways, who occupy the country about it, and also for the purpose of protecting the citizens on the frontier.” George Catlin probably sketched this landscape during his 1835 visit to Fort Snelling in present-day Minnesota. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 50, 1841; reprint 1973)