The Sibley Historic Site is considered to be the oldest Euro-American settlement in Minnesota containing four 19th century limestone and brick buildings. The mission of the historic site is to present the history of the region’s fur trade and Henry Hastings Sibley’s involvement in the business and politics of Minnesota as well as his role in the US-Dakota War of 1862. Historically, the four buildings represent the American Fur Company’s control over the Dakota trade between 1825 and 1853. A popular building on the site is the home of Sibley, a fur trader and first governor of Minnesota. Sibley served as a Minnesota politician, territorial delegate to the U.S Congress, and general in the U.S-Dakota War. Originally, the Mendota home was owned by Sibley, and eventually Jean Baptiste Faribault and Hypolite DuPuis. In addition, the Sibley home became Minnesota’s first designated historic site in 1910.
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