 In the 1830s a group of squatters , mostly Métis from the ill @-@ <unk> Red River Colony , established a camp near the fort . Because of complaints from some residents at the fort , new restrictions were placed on the squatters forcing them to move down the Mississippi River , first to a site known as Fountain Cave , and then even further <unk> . Pierre " Pig 's Eye " <unk> , a popular <unk> among the group , established a saloon at the new site , and the squatters named their settlement " Pig 's Eye " after <unk> ( later changing the name to Lambert 's Landing , and finally Saint Paul after the local chapel ) . The location was a convenient site for a steamboat landing and by 1847 a steamboat line had established the town as a regular stop . This attractive advantage for commerce caused the settlement to develop significantly , soon eroding Mendota 's prominence . 
