Fort Snelling visitors spend Juneteenth learning about site's historic connection to the holiday

Minnesota's ties to slavery, the Civil War and the Juneteenth holiday sent many to Fort Snelling for a tour on Friday.

"This is where the first community of Black individuals lived in Minnesota. They would have been enslaved individuals. This would have been the first community in what would become the state of Minnesota," said Shemar Degannes.

Many of the enslaved people were brought to the area by military officers. Once there, they worked and slept underneath the officer's quarters.

Although Minnesota was a free state, they were not.

Two of the military site's most famous residents were Dred and Harriet Scott, who once called it home. Their legal battle for freedom and the resulting Supreme Court decision eventually ignited the Civil War.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, who learned of their freedom years later.

The U.S. Colored Troops delivered the message of freedom to enslaved people in 1865.

Fort Snelling housed the Colored Troops of the 25th Infantry Regiment.

"Most of the soldiers in this regiment would have been in their early-to mid-20s and were either veterans of the Civil War or children who had been enslaved," said Degannes.

The regiment and their families established the first African American communities in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

"The history of this place and its importance in African American history, how it connects to the city of St. Paul and trickles down to Minneapolis, all of those are vitally important as African Americans, and celebrating it today, on Juneteenth, it's important to know all of your history and not just the big bits and pieces," said John Harper.

People from all walks of life took the tour to find meaning behind Juneteenth and to develop an understanding of why it should be important to everyone.

"Their stories inform what we know about local communities, as well as our country and how it developed. You know, you have stories about racism and segregation, but you also have stories about service and patriots," said Brian Liesinger.

Friday marked the third year that the Minnesota Historical Society has sponsored the tour of Fort Snelling. It hopes to offer the tour beyond the Juneteenth holiday in the future.