Many Minnesotans may know the story of Dred Scott and his legal fight for freedom and his time at Fort Snelling. But many may not know that hundreds of other African Americans came to Minnesota around the time of the Civil War and to Fort Snelling in particular.
Fire Station #24 was home to an all-Black crew of firefighters way back in the early 20th century. Decades later, it took a lawsuit to get the City of Minneapolis to open up firefighter hirings to minorities.
The arrest of a 12-year-old boy became a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights in Minnesota and resulted in a landmark state Supreme Court decision.