1823 Hand-drawn Map Reveals New Information About Historic Fort Snelling

History isn't set in stone, a fact proven by the Minnesota Historical Society's recent acquisition of an important 1823 map of Historic Fort Snelling, then called Fort St. Anthony. Evidence from the map fills in gaps that frustrated archaeologists and scholars involved in the 1970s reconstruction of the fort, now a living-history site.

The map and the commission papers of Josiah Howe Vose, recently surfaced in Vose family papers. The map is signed by its maker, Joseph E. Heckle, and extensive margin notes are thought to be in Vose's hand. Vose may have sent Heckle's map to his family, with the margin notes indicating the living conditions he was encountering - a type of 1820s postcard to the folks at home.

"A majority of the Society's maps are printed. What makes this map so exceedingly rare is that is hand-drawn, one-of-a-kind and of such an important location in the Minnesota's history. I would be extremely lucky to ever see another thing like this in my lifetime," said map curator Jon Walstrom.

From an archaeologist's perspective, Society archaeologist Bob Clouse said the map is one of the most valuable cartographic items he has seen about Fort Snelling. Not only does the map provide information on the sequence and process of building what was to become Fort Snelling, Clouse said, but the extensive hand-written notes around the map's perimeter offer insight into the thought that went into the design and how changes were made during the construction.

In the 1970s, Fort Restoration Relied Upon Archaeology, Research and the Foresight of Historians

Crucial to the U.S. Government's plans to make a strong and permanent presence along the upper Mississippi, Fort Snelling served many roles. It was a place of trade and protection in what Americans viewed as a great, untamed wilderness ready to be wrested of its furs and other valuable resources as well as provide new lands for settlement in the growing country.

The fort served the Army through World War II when new recruits gathered for transport to training camps. It all ended in 1946. But while its historic buildings had been altered, were razed or deteriorated through neglect, it wasn't without expressions of concern from those who realized the fort's role in Minnesota history.

By the 1950s traffic congestion at the fort, a natural junction between Minneapolis and St. Paul, threatened what remained of the historic structures. Roadways gradually crisscrossed the site, but a 1956 proposal to encircle the round tower with a cloverleaf proved the final insult. An aroused citizenry forced a compromise mediated by Gov. Orville L. Freeman himself. The decision to route the new highway instead through a 450-foot lighted tunnel north of the old fort paved the way for a comprehensive plan to preserve the historic area.

Map Conservation Makes It Available for Future Minnesotans

Conservator Kathy Ludwig, who specializes in treating and stabilizing paper items within the Minnesota Historical Society collections, said that while the 1823 map is in good condition, considering its age, treatment was necessary to assure that future generations of Minnesotans would be able to view and research the document.

The map-maker used black carbon ink and ink washes on paper that was hand-made from rags. The marginal notes were written in iron-gall ink, an ink similar to that used to draft the Declaration of Independence. The map has spent the majority of its life folded into a size that would roughly fit into a legal size envelope. Because is was folded for so long, the paper weakened along the folds and in some areas it separated, with small segments missing.

"Our main concern with the map is its chemical and physical preservation. We want to ensure that the information contained within the map is preserved forever and that the intrinsic attributes of the original map are preserved for as long as technically possible," Ludwig explained. "To accomplish this, the information on the map has been digitized and the original map has been treated by the Society's conservation staff."