St. Peter is packed with Minnesota history

In a real estate battle that took place 160 years ago — one that had (almost) biblical overtones — St. Paul won out over St. Peter as the site for Minnesota’s state capital.

St. Peter, which is about 70 miles southwest of the Twin Cities in Nicollet County on a bend in the Minnesota River, initially had the upper hand in 1857 in a failed effort to relocate the capital. Willis Gorman, territorial governor at the time, and some fellow land speculators hoped to make a bundle on the proposed move. A bill mandating the relocation had passed the legislature. All it needed was Gorman’s signature to become law.

But Joseph Rolette, a clever politician from Pembina who wanted the capital to stay in St. Paul, absconded with the actual bill and hid in a Twin Cities hotel. Historians say police searched for him, but he remained holed up, drinking and playing cards with friends, while the legislative session came to an end. When the next session rolled around, the bill failed to gain traction and died. Minnesota became a state in 1858.

And while St. Peter never got the state capital, it did lure Gustavus Adolphus College — which has Swedish Lutheran roots and is home to one of the country’s best Division 3 tennis programs — away from the rural burg of East Union in 1876.

St. Peter now has 12,000 residents — 2,500 of whom are college students — and is well-known for the music festivals it holds each year, including the Rock Bend Folk Festival the first weekend after Labor Day and Oktoberfest the last weekend in September.

Legend has it that the town’s wide boulevards were built to lure the capital to St. Peter. It also has numerous attractive 19th-century buildings, 40 of which are now on the National Register of Historic Places. And even though St. Peter didn’t get the capital, five of its native sons went on to be elected Minnesota governors.

Here’s a rundown of things to see and do in St. Peter:

The Minnesota River Valley offers many miles of established trails for hikers, bikers and even horseback riders, all of whom can see sights ranging from wildlife to waterfalls. Intrepid birdwatchers are typically the first ones out on the trails each day.

Traverse des Sioux  is a historic site on the banks of the Minnesota River just north of St. Peter that was part of a longtime American Indian trade route, busy river crossing, 19th-century settlement, trading post, mission and fur-trading center. It was also the site where a treaty was signed in 1851 that dispossessed the Sioux of their lands and opened up much of southern Minnesota to white settlement. The adjacent Treaty Site History Center, 1851 N. Minnesota Ave., is the headquarters of the Nicollet County Historical Society and tells the story of Minnesota’s territorial expansion.

Historic downtown St. Peter maintains the spirit of the 1800s because local ordinances require building materials and colors that are true to the buildings’ origins. Visitors can take an established walking tour or driving tour by picking up a map at the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce office, 101 S. Front St.

Buildings on the tour worthy of special note include the Nicollet Hotel, 118 S. Minnesota Ave., which is a three-story Victorian built in 1873; the neoclassic 1903 Carnegie Library, 429 S. Minnesota Ave.; and the Konsbruck Hotel Building, 406 S. 3rd St.

Shops along Minnesota Ave. and 3rd St. give St. Peter its character. Merchandise in at least three antique stores is always changing as customers find and leave treasures. The trio are Playing Possum, 218 S. Minnesota Ave.; The Refinery, 216 S. Minnesota Ave.; and Stone Valley General Store, 110 Pine St. Other unusual shops include the Fair Trade Emporium, 213. S. Minnesota Ave., and the Arts Center of St. Peter, a gallery at 315 S. Minnesota Ave.

Or, if you want goat meat, there’s the African Market, 429 S. Minnesota Ave.

Restaurants worth checking out include Patrick’s, 125 S. 3rd St.; an Irish bar and grill, Whiskey River, 34166 Minnesota Highway 99; The Woods,  43779 Golf Course Road; the Food Co-op, a restaurant and grocery store, 228 W. Mulberry St.; and River Rock Coffee, 301 S. Minnesota Ave.

When I attended a family tennis camp at Gustavus Adolphus College last summer, Patrick’s was rocking with a great local band.

Gustavus Adolphus College , which sits on a hill above town at 800 College Ave. and was named after a 17th-century Swedish king, invites spectators to sports events, plays, the Hillstrom Museum of Art and Paul T. Granlund sculptures dotting the 340-acre campus.

The Linnaeus Arboretum, on the western edge of campus, invites visitors during daylight hours year-round to explore a living sanctuary of plants and animals for education, recreation and reflection. The arboretum includes prairies, woodlands, ponds, trails, gardens and open space. It is named after Carl Linnaeus, who lived in Sweden in the 18th century and is considered the father of modern botany. Admission is free.

Museums at the Nicollet County Historical Society, 1851 N. Minnesota Ave., document struggles between American Indians and the Europeans who moved to the area in the late 1800s.

The Minnesota River is a good place for anglers to catch walleye, northern and catfish. Most prefer to fish from the banks, but others use the public boat launch so they can cover more water. Still others prefer the adventure of canoeing and kayaking the river from the county park seven miles upstream.  To rent a canoe or kayak, check out Bent River Outfitter, 530 N. Riverfront Drive, Mankato.

More information: See the St. Peter Chamber of Conference website at stpeterchamber.com or call (507) 934-3400.

Getting there: St. Peter, Minn., is about 360 miles west of Milwaukee via I-94, I-90, and Highways 14 and 22.

Brian E. Clark is a Madison writer.