Living Our Dream: Alexandria, MN Part II: Fort Alexandria

July 04, 2011

Alexandria, MN Part II: Fort Alexandria

Miltona, MN

On the grounds of the Runestone Museum, there is a reconstruction of Fort Alexandria. The original fort was built in 1862 about two blocks away from the Runestone Museum. The Governor of Minnesota ordered construction of the fort as a means of protecting settlers during the Sioux Uprising. Inside the Runestone Museum was a painting of the original fort as it might have looked in the early 1860s.

The fort was a center of commercial and social activity until the troops left in 1866. There was a log general store, a cabin, a church and a school inside the stockade. The reconstructed general store and cabin are shown in the photo below.

The general store is filled with many antiques of the 1800s that represent the type of goods settlers living within the walls of the fort would have needed.

Margery was checking out the mustache cups.

Anyone know where the rest rooms are?

The fort's school is represented by an actual one-room school from Moe Township, MN.

The church below originally belonged to the congregation of Immanuel Lutheral Church in Carlos Township. It was their second church building that was constructed in 1898 when their first church was destroyed by fire. This building was used for Sunday school classes and meetings when a third building was erected in 1919. The church was donated to the Runestone Museum in 2007.

Also on the grounds of the fort is a large exhibit building that contains more exhibits relating to Minnesota and its history. These exhibits include a collection of old farm implements...

...and antique hand tools.

Minnesota has long, cold winters. Rather than sit inside, residents involve themselves in a variety of winter sports. Two of the largest snowmobile manufacturers, Polaris and Arctic Cat, were founded in Minnesota and currently have their headquarters there. The photo below shows a 1964 Arctic Cat Model 450.