Editing Minneapolis–Saint Paul (section)

=== European settlement ===
The first European settlement in the region was near what is now the town of [[Stillwater, Minnesota]], about {{convert|20|mi|km|-1}} from downtown Saint Paul and on the western bank of the [[St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)|St. Croix River]], which forms the border of central Minnesota and Wisconsin. Another settlement that fueled early interest in the area was the outpost at [[Fort Snelling, Minnesota|Fort Snelling]], which was constructed from 1820 to 1825 at the [[confluence]] of the [[Minnesota River]] and the [[Mississippi River]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/military-history/expansionist-era |title=The Expansionist Era (1805–1858) |website=Minnesota Historical Society |access-date=2 May 2019}}</ref>

The Fort Snelling military reservation bordered both sides of the river up to [[Saint Anthony Falls]]. The town of Saint Anthony grew just outside the reservation on the river's east side. For several years, the only European resident to live on the west bank of the river was Colonel [[John H. Stevens]], who operated a ferry service across the river. When the military reservation was reduced in size, settlers quickly moved to the land, creating the new village of Minneapolis. The town grew, with Minneapolis and Saint Anthony eventually merging.<ref>{{cite web|title=A History of Minneapolis |website=Minneapolis Public Library |year=2001 |url=http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/history/eh4.asp |access-date=2 May 2019 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104133936/http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/history/eh4.asp |archive-date=4 January 2009}}</ref> On the eastern side of the Mississippi, a few villages such as Pig's Eye and Lambert's Landing grew to become Saint Paul.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/blog/an-early-history-of-saint-paul/ |title=An Early History |website=Visit Saint Paul |access-date=2 May 2019}}</ref>