The Treaty Site History Center is the headquarters of the Nicollet County Historical Society. A county museum and more, the site’s exhibits explore the fascinating history of Nicollet County and Minnesota’s territorial expansion.

During your visit to the Treaty Site History Center, you will explore the stories of Nicollet County’s first inhabitants- the Dakota people, explorers, traders, and settlers. The interaction between these people laid the historical groundwork for the signing of the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, signed here in July of 1851, which ceded 24 million acres of Dakota land to the U.S. government and opened the land to new settlers and westward expansion.

Once settlers began pouring into Nicollet County, fur trading was replaced by farming and soon little villages became bustling towns with booming businesses. At the history center, visitors also learn about local agriculture, business, geology, and much more in its rotating exhibits featuring Nicollet County history.