Historical Study: Former U.S. Bureau of Mines Property, Twin Cities Research Center

Henning, Barbara

The U.S. Bureau of Mines Twin Cities Research Center (TCRC), Main Campus, in Hennepin County, Minnesota closed in 1996. The National Park Service, which was assisting the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Mines Closure Team, became interested in obtaining well documented information to aid in determining appropriate future land use and management of the resources. The study involves focuses on the presence, significance, and integrity of historic resources on the TCRC property, especially those associated with Coldwater Spring. The area saw a number of uses associated with Fort Snelling beginning in 1820, including military, settlement, commercial, agricultural, public works, and recreational. The Coldwater Spring site is directly associated with important Fort Snelling activities. Due to these important associations, the Coldwater Spring site was included within the National Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places District, although the boundaries do not accurately represent this. While demonstrably important to understanding Fort Snelling and environs history, the site does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the National Register. The Coldwater Spring site draws its significance from its associations with the fort, as an important component of the compelling story of the fort and vicinity. According to the National Historic Landmark nomination for Fort Snelling, it was “the first American fort in modern Minnesota” and was “of continuous significance in the security and development of the northwest region and in the transformation of the United States Army from a small frontier force to that of a major modern army.” This historical study addresses this evolution in pages 6, 9-11, and 16-20. The rather brief NRHP nomination for Fort Snelling notes that the fort is significant in the areas of historic aboriginal presence, commerce, communications, military matters, political developments, transportation, and settlement of the frontier. While the focus of this historical study focuses on the uses of the area around the Coldwater Spring and the historic contexts specific to the area, the NRHP areas of significance are addressed on pages 6-23 of this report.

Historical Study: Former U.S. Bureau of Mines Property, Twin Cities Research Center

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