Begun in 1819, Fort Snelling ranks as the westernmost fort built by the US government after the War of 1812. It was set on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, allowing soldiers to control fur-trade routes. Soldiers at the fort helped build the first flour mills on St. Anthony Falls, while officers oversaw the "treaties" that wrested land from Native Americans. Today the re-created diamond-shaped fort encompasses a store, a hospital, a school and the original Round and Hexagonal towers. A 20min film introduces the fort's history, and costumed guides (May-Oct) interpret what life was like here 170 years ago.