Early settlers made their homes along the Mississippi River on land ceded to the military by the Sioux Indians. A pair of clefts in the 80-foot river bluffs made convenient landing places for explorers and traders transporting furs for shipment to the East.



Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant was busy running his saloon near the Lowertown landing and selling bootleg rum to soldiers at nearby Fort Snelling when Father Lucien Galtier arrived in Pig's Eye Landing in 1841 and built a chapel dedicated to St. Paul.

The priest wanted the city's name changed and got his wish. But St. Paul nearly lost its capital status a few years later.



In 1857, a year before Minnesota became the 32nd state, the territorial legislature passed a bill to move the capital to St. Peter. Gov. Willis Gorman signed the act before leaving office but no effort was made to move the capital by the May 1, 1857, deadline, and it never did move.



St. Paul has 29 miles of river shoreline within the city limits. Old-fashioned sternwheel paddle boats can be seen paddling down the river. Also seen anywhere in town on the river banks are people fishing.



From the Capitol to the riverfront, St. Paul's downtown area can be covered on foot. Five miles of skyways connect downtown banks, office buildings, stores, theaters, hotels and restaurants. Trolleys also circulate throughout downtown.



Visitors can get in touch with the seamy side of the city's history by taking a gangster bus tour. Mobster guides carrying Tommy guns show off famous gangster hideaways and speakeasies of the 1930s when Ma Barker and her sons, along with John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly, took refuge in the city.

Here are some old photos of some of the gangsters of the early '30s (these photos are not part of the article):

John Dillinger

Baby Face Nelson

Machine Gun Kelly

Police Chief John O'Connor agreed not to prosecute the gangsters as long as they didn't commit crimes within the city, according to local history. For St. Paul, it was a win-win situation. The citizens were protected and the gangsters spent their money in the city.




Now, on with the tour.

Chugging right along, we pass by the 1905 Capitol building which is grand in design with stenciled ceilings, murals, stone, marble and sculptures.





Tours of the Capitol building pass by one of those sculptures, the Quadriga, or golden horses.





The Science Museum of Minnesota is located in St. Paul. There are eight acres of indoor space, filled with awe-inspiring exhibits coupled with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River!

Many of the exhibits include hands-on activities such as the Human Body Gallery & the Dinosaurs & Fossiles Gallery. There are also ten acres of outdoor parks.





This is the Bloodstream Superhighway, one of many hands-on exhibits. The visitor may grab hold of both tubes and try to feel the difference between an artery and a vein.





Como Ordway Japanese Gardens offer a relaxing respite from the hustle & bustle of everyday life.

The Zig-Zag Bridge

Legend says that evil spirits cannot cross a broken bridge.


The above is what a zig zag bridge looks like. Get the idea?



Let's leave our worries behind as we cross the bridge and simplify our thoughts.