 In the 1850s , Fort Snelling played a key role in the infamous Dred Scott court case . Slaves Dred Scott and his wife were taken to the fort by their master , John Emerson . They lived at the fort and elsewhere in territories where slavery was prohibited . After Emerson 's death , the Scotts argued that since they had lived in free territory , they were no longer slaves . Ultimately , the U.S. Supreme Court sided against the Scotts . Dred Scott Field , located just a short distance away in Bloomington , is named in the memory of Fort Snelling 's significance in one of the most important legal precedents in U.S. History . 
