1896 Map of St. Paul

About this map

The Mississippi River and Minnesota River converge at the historic Fort Snelling in this 1894 survey, illustrating the Twin Cities during a period of rapid industrial and rail expansion. While St. Paul and Minneapolis display dense street grids, the surrounding townships like Inver Grove, Egan, and Rosemount remain largely rural, dotted with glacial lakes such as Lake Como and Black Dog Lake. The landscape is a corridor of major transit, showing a dense web of competing lines including the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and the Electric R. R. bridging the urban centers. South of the city, the river valley reveals a network of smaller landings and settlements like Mendota, Pine Bend, and Newport, offering a detailed view of the regional geography before 20th-century suburbanization altered the open spaces between these burgeoning metropolitan hubs.