 Fort Snelling was largely responsible for the establishment of the city of Minneapolis . In an effort to be self @-@ sufficient , the soldiers of the fort built roads , planted crops , and built a grist mill and a sawmill at Saint Anthony Falls . Later , Franklin Steele came to Fort Snelling as the post sutler ( the operator of the general store ) , and established interests in lumbering and other activities . When the Ojibwe signed a treaty ceding lands in 1837 , Steele staked a claim to land on the east side of the Mississippi River adjacent to Saint Anthony Falls . In 1848 , he built a sawmill at the falls , and the community of Saint Anthony sprung up around the east side of the falls . Steele told one of his employees , John H. Stevens , that land on the west side of the falls would make a good site for future mills . Since the land on the west side was still part of the military reservation , Stevens made a deal with Fort Snelling 's commander . Stevens would provide free ferry service across the river in exchange for a tract of 160 acres ( 0 @.@ 65 km2 ) at the head of the falls . Stevens received the claim and built a house , the first house in Minneapolis , in 1850 . In 1854 , Stevens platted the city of Minneapolis on the west bank . Later , in 1872 , Minneapolis absorbed the city of Saint Anthony . 
