On this page you'll be introduced to historic sites in the Eagan
area. Some of them are simply interesting points of local interest,
but many have a unique place in the history of Minnesota or have
even been deemed of National significance. Each is well worth the
trip to see in person and, hopefully, this page will help you
understand these sites and the role they played in our rich
history.
This Dakota village was located near
the current Cedar Bridge crossing on the isthmus of land between
Black Dog Lake and the Minnesota River, which is the present site
of the Black Dog Power Plant. There were an estimated 250 Indians
living there when white men first came to the area. Black Dog's
people belonged to the Mdewankanton band of the Sioux, also known
as the Dakota Indians. This band is believed to have moved to the
area from the Mille Lacs Lake area around 1750.
This piece of land provided pleny of water for drinking, travel,
fish, water fowl, and other game animals. Black Dog's band was
sometimes referred to as "the people who didn't eat geese", because
they made good trades with the birds at Fort Snelling. They also
found plenty of customers for the fish caught in the Black Dog Lake
among the first Eurpean settlers in the area. The Dakota regularly
traded the fish for fresh pork, which was a staple among the Irish
Roman Catholic settlers except during Lent, when they were required
to eat fish for religious reasons. The original village location
and Black Dog's people are parts of the histories for both
Burnsville and Eagan.
When Louis Martin arrived to teach farming in 1837 the village
moved to his farm which was located at the present day junction of
Highway 13 and Blackhawk Road in Eagan. There they stayed until
1856 when the entire village was relocated to the reservation at
Morton, Minnesota.
Lt. Zebulon Pike's land purchase in 1805 for Fort Snelling
included a portion of what is now Dakota County. The line ran
through land that presently includes Burnsville, Eagan, Mendota
Heights, and West Saint Paul. [ Read More about the Military Reservation
Line ]
Pilot Knob is a site located on the borders of Mendota Heights
and Eagan selected by the Dakotas for signing the Treaty of 1851
which opened Dakota County to settlement. The name, "Pilot Knob,"
was coined by riverboat captians and refers to a landmark used for
navigation. The Dakota, though, called it O-be-ya-wa-be [meaning
"Hill that is much visited"]. The State's first military encampment
was below it and it overlooks the first American fort in the area,
Fort Snelling. When US Senator Steven Douglas authored a bill to
create the Territory of Minnesota he suggested the site for the
first State Capitol. Henry Sibley made the change to the current
site at Saint Paul. Today the site includes Acacia Cemetary.
Pilot Knob, though, is currently at the center of a contraversey
over its future due to encroaching development. Efforts are
underway to preserve the site for its significance to both Native
Americans and Minnesota's heritage. [ Read More About Pilot Knob ]
When Eagan first became a Township the yearly town meetings
were conducted in the local schoolhouse or at a Town Board
supervisor's home. In 1892 they decided a permenant meeting
place was required and was to be built on land owned by
Michael Shield (now at the intersection of Lone Oak and
Pilot Knob Roads). That original structure was still in
use until destroyed by fire in 1914 when a five person
committee was formed to select a new site with just $500
was slated for both land and building costs.
The recommended site was rejected in favor of locating the new
Town Hall as close to the geographic center of the Township as
possible. They purchased a small plot of land from a Micheal
Englert and constucted a frame building on the site with total
building costs of $1,047. The building was completed in June of
1914 and served as the City Hall for many decades before Eagan's
needs simply outgrew it.
A burr oak tree has stood on the property of Trinity
Lone Oak Church long before the area was organized - probably
200 - 300 years. The tree stood another 115 years in the
church yard and served as the public bulletin board for
official town notices and, later, advertisements. Dairy
farmers used to leave milk cans in its shade to keep them
cool until they could be picked up by the milk wagons.
In 1974 the Highway Department (now Minnesota Department of
Transportation) planned to cut the tree down, little realizing the
historic significance of it. Community activists, led by Rev.
Richard Krenzke, prevented the tree from being destroyed. In 1976
the Lone Oak Tree was designated a "Heritage Tree" by the Minnesota
State Horticultural Department and is listed in the American
Forestry Association book "Famous and Historic Trees."
Age, nearby traffic, and pollution caused the tree's death and it had to be
cut down in 1983. A cross-section of the tree now hangs
in the Eagan City Hall outside the council chambers as
an icon meaning "strength and growth" for the City of
Eagan.
One of the most spectacular residences in Eagan was the
home of Charles Leslie Ames, president of West Publishing.
Ames amassed an enormous library about Southeast Asia,
which has since been moved to the University of Minnesota.
If you know of a local site in this area that you feel should be
acknowledged for its historic significance we'd love to hear about
it or help you to investigate and document the site. Please contact
the us at:
Dakota County Historical Society
130 Third Avenue North
South Saint Paul, MN 55075
| Telephone: 651/552-7548 |
Fax:
651/552-7265
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