Editing Fort Snelling (section)

=== Post-war 20th century ===
The War Department decommissioned Fort Snelling a second time on 14 October 1946. Various federal agencies were allowed to request land parcels from the land that made up Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory. Since the army departed, the majority of the structures fell into disrepair. In 1960, the fort itself was listed as a [[National Historic Landmark]], citing its importance as the first major military post in the region, and its later history in the development of the United States Army.<ref name="nhlsum" /><ref name="nrhpinv">{{cite web |url={{NHLS url|id=66000401}} |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort Snelling |author=Marilynn Larew |format=PDF |date=March 15, 1978 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2009-06-21 }} and {{NHLS url|id=66000401|title=Accompanying 29 images, including photos from late-1880s to 1977.|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(6.55&nbsp;MB)}}</ref>

Many acres of fort land have been lost to roads. Construction of the [[Mendota Bridge]] ran a [[state highway]] across old fort land. More fort land was lost when an [[Interstate 494]] [[Interchange (road)|interchange]] was added as well as access roads to the International Airport, National Cemetery, VA Hospital and bridge into St. Paul.

In 1963 Fort Snelling became headquarters of [[United States Army Reserve]] [[205th Infantry Brigade (United States)|205th Infantry Brigade]], that had units throughout the upper Midwest. In 1994 that ended as a part of force-structure eliminations.

[[Image:Fort Snelling Complex.jpg|thumb|Fort Snelling Administration Building on the Upper Post, built 1878]]

The fort has been reconstructed to replicate its original appearance starting in 1965.<ref name="RoFS">Reconstructing old Fort Snelling, Loren Johnson. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Mn [http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/42/v42i03p082-098.pdf]</ref> Time and use had been hard on the original fort. The walls, barracks and buildings had been removed. There was archaeological work done at the site in 1957–1958 and again in 1966–1967.<ref name="RoFS"/> At that time all that remained of the original fort were the round and hexagonal towers. State [[archaeologists]] located the foundations of all that had been demolished allowing them to pin point the structures they reconstructed. The [[Minnesota Historical Society]] has since made the original walled fort or "Lower Post" into an interactive interpretive center. It has been staffed from spring to early fall with personnel attired in period costumes. Although restoring the original fort assured its survival, many of the buildings constructed later, composing the "Upper Post", suffered serious disrepair and neglect. Many of them have been demolished.