The community that would eventually grow into St Paul Minnesota was originally founded by man by the name of Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant. He was a retired fur trader turned bootlegger and had been expelled from the area around Fort Snelling after an illegal Whiskey trade broke out. He founded the tiny, tiny hamlet known as Pig's Landing in the mid-to-late 1810's. In the 1820's the hamlet had become an important trading village as a stop on the journey West.
The village took on another name in 1837 when a Catholic Priest by the name of Henry Schoolcraft, signed a treaty with a local band of 200 Dakota Indians to vacate the land. Once the Indians were gone he built a church there and called the Catholic Church of Saint Paul. This name was later adopted for the village that it serviced. The name was chosen because it was the name of Father Schoolcrafts favorite Saint.
The village grew quickly over the nest ten years because of its geographical importance. It was a last easily accessible stop for boats heading downriver and was a mere 14 miles from what would eventually become Mineapolis.
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