Historical Society archaeologists at work in the Round Tower, 1965. Layers of interior finish, including murals painted by WPA artists, had to be
removed in restoring the building to its appearance in the 1820s.
Fort Snelling as it looked in the 1840s is shown in this painting
by Henry Lewis. The island seen in the foreground carries the name of
Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, who met there with the Dakota Indians in 1805 and
bought the land for the fort.