Historic Churches / St. Paul Minnesota

The church shown in this photo article, the Cathedral of Saint Paul, is over one hundred years old. This magnificent cathedral, built in the Classical Renaissance style with it's marble pillars, granite walls and stained glass, compares today to any of the great cathedrals built in Europe.

The Cathedral of St.Paul is located appropriately in St. Paul Minnesota on the east bank of the Mississippi River. This beautiful cathedral is filled with history. It's a must stop if your travels take you to or near St. Paul Minnesota. The address is 239 Selby Ave, St Paul, MN . It's estimated that a quarter million people tour the cathedral annually.

Cathedral of St. Paul

The first church in this area was constructed in 1841 and consisted of a log chapel. The church you see today was constructed by immigrants during the years 1906 to 1915.

Archbishop John Ireland

The church you see today was inspired by Archbishop John Ireland in 1904.  Born in Ireland, he came to the St. Paul area with his family. The Most Reverend John Ireland served as the Diocese of St. Paul's first Archbishop from 1888 to 1918, the year that he died.

One of the most enduring accomplishments of the Archbishop was his bringing of Irish Catholic families from the slums to the vast farmlands of Minnesota. There they were able to start anew and out of this were established new schools and new parishes. Reportedly, during his tenure and with the many Irish Catholic's moving to the area, five new dioceses were created in 1889. Archbishop John Ireland was also very well known for his work in developing education in his parishes.

View of Cathedral of St. Paul from another angle

During the Civil War John Ireland served with the Fifth Minnesota regiment and was always prepared to pray with it's soldiers and offer any spiritual comfort he could. As it turned out, the Fifth Minnesota played a major role in the key Battle of Corinth in 1862 which stopped a Confederate breakthrough. Father John Ireland left the Union Army in 1863 due to ill health.

One of the Largest Cathedrals in The United States

In addition to the beautiful stained glass, the marble pillars and the shining granite walls mentioned above, the Cathedral of Saint Paul features a stunning gold dome.

The dome of the cathedral shown in this article measures 76 feet in diameter and 186 feet high. The granite walls mentioned above were obtained from a quarry in nearby St. Cloud. The church has twenty-four stained glass windows.

Beautiful gold dome at Cathedral of Saint Paul

In 2009 the Cathedral of Saint Paul was designated the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul by the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops and the Vatican.

 St. Paul Minnesota

The very first name of the settlement that eventually became St. Paul was Pig's Eye. Sometimes referred to as Pig's Eye Landing. How did a settlement get such a name?

There was a  French-Canadian whiskey trader, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, who the story goes led squatters to the settlement. In fact, Pierre was the first European to live inside the modern day border of St. Paul Minnesota and built the settlements first structure which as you might expect was a tavern. Pig's Eye did a pretty robust business selling bootlegged whiskey to soldier and Indian alike. He operated this way until the army at Fort Snelling chased him away in 1840. A cave which Pierre operated from which had fresh flowing water was used by soldiers for a store house after his eviction and eventually became a tourist attraction.

Today, tourists to St. Paul can view an historical marker at the site of the old Pig's Eye Landing. The location is along Shepard Road, about one quarter mile southwest of the intersection of Randolph and Shepard Road.

Minnesota State Capitol Building

St. Paul Minnesota is often referred to as the "laid back older brother" to the Twin Cities. Here you're on the banks of the Mississippi River in a city with striking architecture and plenty of history. St. Paul is also often called the easternmost city in the west. This is primarily because the city was actually built and planned to east coast standards.

St. Paul Minnesota today has more than 225 notable surviving buildings. What was once wilderness prior to the Civil War years is Summit Avenue. This street is known for it's many historic structures which includes homes, churches and schools. Summit Avenue offers a fun and educational walking tour and the avenue represents two National Historic Districts and two City of Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Districts.

Below are links to additional Western Trips articles you may find interesting...

The Hopperstad Stave Church Replica

Santa Fe's Loretto Chapel 

More Sites to Visit in the Twin Cities Area

There are many great places to visit in the Twin Cities area. One of these is historic Fort Snelling. Located on top of the bluff overlooking the river junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, Fort Snelling served the U.S. military for over 120 years. Today, Fort Snelling, located just a few miles east of the Twin Cities International Airport, is a National Historic Landmark and is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. Here you'll see an amazing display of artifacts that tell the story of the military, the Native Americans and the fur trade. More information can be found at www.historicfortsnelling.org

For those planning a visit to Minnesota you'll do well to check out the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. Here is a 575 mile scenic road that follows the Mississippi River from the head waters at Itasca State Park down to the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area. This is perfect for a summer visit to Minnesota as the scenic byway winds through forests, passes reservoirs and takes you to all the great sites to see around the Twin Cities region.

(Article and photos copyright 2013 Western Trips. Photo of Fort Snelling Round Tower from the public domain)

Remembering the Shawnee Trail

Shawnee Trail bronze sculpture

The city of Frisco Texas, a bustling and growing suburb north of Dallas, has an interesting park that honors the famous Shawnee Trail. Western Trips had the opportunity to visit this unique memorial park which is filled with beautiful bronze sculptures and walking trails you'll enjoy visiting.

The Shawnee Trail

Quite a bit of information has been written about the great cattle trails of Texas. The Chisholm Trail which ran from south Texas up to the Kansas rail heads of Abilene and Wichita. The Great Western Trail (sometimes referred to as the Texas Trail) which started in south Texas and with various branches even extended to the Canadian border to the north. There was also the famous Goodnight-Loving Trail, much further west, that traveled from west Texas into New Mexico and then north into Colorado.

The Shawnee Trail stands out as being the earliest and the easternmost of the Texas Longhorn cattle trails. Cattle was said to have been taken up the Shawnee Trail as early as the 1840's which would have been just several years after the region won it's independence from Mexico in 1836. The great cattle trails mentioned above primarily came into being just after the Civil War when there was an over abundance of Texas cattle. The Shawnee Trail came into existence just before the Civil War and passed through the towns of Austin, Waco and Dallas. Earlier trails generally went through the Fort Worth area to the west.

Shawnee Trail cowboy sculpture

The Shawnee Trail collected cattle brought in from the east and west of it's main route and herded this cattle northward across the Red River and through eastern Oklahoma which was then Indian Territory. Various branch trails then went toward rail heads and stock yards in Kansas City, Independence, MO, St. Louis and Sedalia.

The biggest trouble on the Shawnee Trail occurred in the early 1850's when the Longhorn tick disease affected local cattle on it's way north to market. As an example, farmers in Kansas actually formed armed groups to prevent the Texas Longhorns from entering their area. Some cattle did get through and many others were turned back. The armed vigilantes stampeded the herds and in some cases there were people killed. It was a violent encounter for a long time.

During the Civil War the trail was barely used. Texas cattle could not be driven to the north and this was the major reason there was such a surplus of cattle immediately when the Civil War ended. 

Frisco Texas and the Shawnee Trail

When you visit Frisco Texas today, the main north to south artery running through this very large suburb is Preston Road. This road is named after a military outpost on the Red River, Fort Preston, whose name was in honor of a Captain William C. Preston, a Texas Revolution veteran.

Shawnee Trail memorial, Frisco, TX

The Shawnee Trail coming out of Dallas traveled northward generally along what today is Preston Road. This Shawnee Trail route was also responsible for bringing the earliest settlers to what is today Frisco.

The first town to pop up here was named Lebanon, a general gathering place for cowboys and ranchers bringing cattle north. Today, what was Lebanon is a part of Frisco and was just one of the several names adopted by this settlement before it finally was named Frisco.

Frisco and the Railroad

As mentioned above, new Texas trails to the west after the Civil War generally replaced the Shawnee Trail. What came next however would be a tremendous catalyst to the settlement's growth. This was the railroad, a major factor for the creation of many towns and cities all over the U.S.

Frisco Texas ended up adopting the name of the railroad that built tracks through it. This was the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway Company, commonly referred to as the Frisco System. The Frisco Railway had expanded to the south through Indian Territory to the Red River and then to the south beyond in an effort to tap into the Texas cattle market. Prior to this, the settlement was first named Emerson after a McKinney Texas banker. The story is that the banker promised to open a bank in the town if it was named after him. When the railroad came to town the name was changed.

Shawnee Cattle Drive wall

Visiting Frisco Texas

Today, Frisco Texas is a massive community and one of the fastest growing in the entire Dallas area. Two very interesting stops in Frisco that you may want to visit are the sites that celebrates the historic Shawnee Trail and the Frisco Heritage Museum.

The Shawnee Trail site is a seven acre park with walking and jogging trails. The centerpiece of this site is a three walled area with fascinating western sculptures all around it. The bronze sculptures depict an 1800's trail drive. A good deal of information about the old cattle drives is etched into the concrete walkways. It's a perfect stop for the entire family if you're traveling through the area. The site is located just on the west of  Parkwood Boulevard north of the Stonebriar Mall.

Another fun stop you'll want to make is the Frisco Heritage Museum just a few miles north of the Shawnee Trail site. Here you'll be able to walk through the entire history of Frisco and see plenty of great exhibits of the old Frisco Railroad as well as some rare artifacts and photos from other historic railroads. Restored historic structures from Frisco have been moved to the museum outdoor area. This indoor and outdoor museum offers a fun learning experience for the entire family. The museum which opened in 2008 is located at 6455 Page Street. 

Below are links to additional Western Trips photo articles regarding other sites of interest in the greater Dallas Texas area... 

Electric Railroad Museum 

Santa Fe Railroad Dining Car China/ Frisco Heritage Museum  

Perot Museum of Nature and Science 

A Walking Tour of Historic Gonzales Texas

Steam engine exhibit at Frisco Heritage Museum

A big thing that is happening in 2013 for the Frisco Heritage Museum involves The Museum of the American Railroad which was located near downtown Dallas. While the museum was running out of space, Frisco not only offered plenty of space but was also growing tremendously. The decision was made to move the Dallas museum's collection up to Frisco which of course would be a major undertaking. As of this writing some of the rolling stock from The Museum of the American Railroad has been relocated to Frisco. Work has been ongoing and when it's completed it will be one of the finest historic railroad displays in the country.


Both the Shawnee Trail site with it's bronze sculptures and the Frisco Heritage Museum with it's 18,000 foot display area are fun low cost ways to learn about how the town of Frisco Texas was established and named.

(Article and photos copyright 2013 Western Trips)



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