Take Another Look at Local History Sites - Historic Fort Snelling Plank Museum and Visitor Center

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos MNHS

Nancy CassI recently visited the newly remodeled Historic Fort Snelling Plank Museum and Visitor Center. I suggest you put it on your must-do list – don’t just drive by the site that has national significance. There is so much history to learn at the site, and the new visitor center is gorgeous. We talked to Nancy Cass, Site Manager of Historic Fort Snelling, to learn more about the extensive history of the area and what you will experience during your visit. 

In the Dakota language, “bdote” means “where two waters come together.”

Q:  Why is the location of Historic Fort Snelling so significant? 

A:  Historic Fort Snelling, Minnesota’s first National Historic Landmark, is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. With 10,000 years of human history, this is a place where complex stories of many peoples converge. It is a place of major social, cultural and historical significance to all people who have inhabited the region.

Historic Fort Snelling means many things to many people. History shared by many voices is represented in new exhibits and spaces. From the homeland of the Dakota long before the Fort existed, to the memories of World War II veterans who mustered out there, Historic Fort Snelling holds meaning and memories that are at once stirring, powerful and complex.

The Fort was the site of a concentration camp for 1,600 Dakota following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Federal Army officers enslaved African Americans, including Dred and Harriet Scott, within the walls of the Fort in a free territory. The same Fort also launched the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment among 25,000 soldiers who fought against slavery in the Civil War.

Fort Snelling served as an induction center for more than 300,000 soldiers in World War II. It was also the home of the Military Intelligence Service Language School where Japanese Americans, many whose families were held in domestic concentration camps, used language skills to help win the war.

Plank Museum and Visitor Center

Q:  Please give us a brief history of the building that now houses the Historic Fort Snelling Plank Museum and Visitor Center.

A:  Originally built in 1904 as U.S. Army Cavalry barracks and later converted to an outpatient VA Clinic in 1946, the building had served many purposes and many people. It has been called Building K-12, Building 18A-B and a VA outpatient clinic.

Between 1904 and 1907, cavalry stables, stable guardhouses, a drill hall and barracks were constructed at Fort Snelling. Each wing of the barracks was designed to hold 85 soldiers. The Fort Snelling Quartermaster records note that the building was constructed for $60,477 with brick walls, stone foundation, slate roof and wood floors.

In the 1930s, Building 18 housed machine gun companies of the Third Infantry. These machine gun companies may have occupied the building as early as the 1920s. In the early 1940s, the building housed “companies in training.”

Military Intelligence Service Language School Students at Fort Snelling, 1945In 1944, Japanese language classes began at the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS). According to supplements to telephone directories c. 1944 and 1945, the MISLS School Battalion Company F is located in Building 18-B and the School Battalion Company E is located in Building 18-A.

In 1946, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs begins converting the building into an outpatient clinic.

It sat vacant since 1989. It had no power, water nor HVAC. There was water damage throughout the building, from roof leaks before MNHS reroofed the building in 2012. Wood floors were warped and ceilings had fallen. Floor surfaces were covered in asbestos mastic and there was lead paint on many walls.

Q:  The Military Intelligence Service Language School, based at Fort Snelling during World War II, is particularly interesting. Could you tell us more about it? 

A:  After 1944 the fort was the location of the Military Intelligence Service Language School, where Nisei (second-generation) Japanese Americans learned Japanese, Korean, and Chinese language and culture in preparation for overseas service as interpreters, interrogators, and intelligence workers. These soldiers played an important role after the end of the war during the occupation of Japan.

Plank Museum and Visitor Center Entrance and K.A.H.R. Foundation Lobby

Q:  The renovated Museum and Visitor Center are pristine, with modern amenities including meeting rooms and classrooms, exhibit spaces and galleries, plus accessible restrooms, a museum store, and grab-and-go food and beverage. Could you tell us about the planning process and considerations – materials to use, goals for the building, timeline, etc.? Are the large rooms available to rent for special events?

A:  Planning involved thoughtful consideration of the needs of the site, not only for the present but for future use including expanded stories and eras. Educational space was a priority in planning the building, which is something we did not previously have in the old Visitor Center. 

The site has moved to one that will be open year-round with the Visitor Center providing programs in the winter when the historic fort closes from November through early April. Rental space was included with a large event space now available as well as room for exhibits. A large museum store was included and space for providing food for purchase and informal eating area. Rental spaces are available.

Buffalo Weavers perform on the KLAS Overlook

Ecolab River Walk

Q:  The outdoor spaces are as gorgeous as the renovated visitor center. Could you tell us more about the indigenous landscapes and native plantings that are now taking root?

A:  The Indigenous landscapes that surround Historic Fort Snelling include savanna, woodland, prairie and wet meadow. Each features native plants. Interpretive panels throughout the locations present the Dakota and common English names for many plants, plus how Native Americans have used those plants for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. As these landscapes continue to grow and mature, visitors are encouraged to revisit and observe this living history.

Q:  Are there daily activities at the Fort and Visitor Center?

A:  Yes! Daily activities at the historic fort include hearth cooking, blacksmithing, military demonstrations, a school lesson, historic games and baseball, laundry, and an orientation tour. During the winter, programming will be available at the Visitor Center.

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