Bob Sandeen, the Research Assistant and former Archivist for the Nicollet County Historical Society, chose this bill to remove Minnesota's capitol from their collection in MDL. Page through the bill below:

A Bill for the Removal of the Capitol of the Territory or Future State of Minnesota, 1857 (includes a transcript)

The selected item is a handwritten draft of a bill from early 1857 that proposed moving the capital of Minnesota from St. Paul to St. Peter. This draft, written in an old style on faded blue paper and tied with a pink ribbon, was found by Dr. E. C. Carlton in a trunk in his home. It came to public attention in 1936 when a researcher named Oscar Schmeidel examined it for a project supported by the Works Progress Administration.

The draft differs quite a bit from the version that was eventually passed by the Territorial House and the Territorial Council later that same year. Governor Willis A. Gorman signed the accepted version after the original bill was set aside by a man named Joseph Rolette, Jr., who was against the move. A court later ruled that the signed version was not valid, so St. Paul remained the capital.

Key players in the effort to move the capital included members of a group called the Saint Peter Company, who established the town of Saint Peter in Nicollet County in 1854. Notable members included Governor Willis A. Gorman and Henry A. Swift, who would later become the third Governor of Minnesota. Both Gorman and Swift built homes in St. Peter, and Swift’s house is still around today.

The bill is significant because it would have enormously changed the course of Minnesota’s history if it had been passed by the territorial legislature and signed by Territorial Governor Willis A. Gorman. St. Peter would have become the capital of Minnesota, and St. Paul would be a far different city from what it is today.

In the mid-19th century, Minnesota was still defining itself. Communities like St. Peter saw opportunities to claim their place in history by becoming centers of power and influence. This bill outlines an ambitious plan to relocate the Capitol and build new government facilities in St. Peter. It promised significant investment and imagined a future where the city would lead Minnesota into statehood.

But St. Paul, already established as the territorial capital, wasn’t willing to give up its role so readily. The rivalry highlights the challenges of the era—regional competition, the scramble for infrastructure, and the desire for growth. Ultimately, St. Peter’s bid fell short, leaving St. Paul to grow into the capital we know today.

This moment in history also offers a glimpse into how Minnesota’s leaders thought about governance and progress. The bill called for a Building Commissioners Board to oversee the project, reflecting early efforts to structure public administration. It’s an artifact of both vision and practicality—a bold plan that could have forever altered the state’s identity.

Even though the Capitol stayed in St. Paul, the bill stands as a testament to the ambitions of Minnesota’s early communities. It invites us to reflect on the “what-ifs” of history, sparking curiosity about how small decisions can change the course of events. St. Peter’s near miss remains a significant chapter in Minnesota’s story, offering lessons about competition, resilience, and the drive to leave a lasting legacy.

The bill is one of my favorite items because of its immense significance. It would have changed everything in Minnesota’s history if the capital had been moved.

I first saw the bill years before I became the archivist at the Nicollet County Historical Society. I found it in one of the Society’s file cabinets while doing some personal research. The Minnesota Digital Library project began while I was employed as the Society’s archivist. Our Historical Society was one of its earliest participants. The project manager, James Dildine, came to St. Peter to work with us several times to determine how to proceed with the project.

When I began selecting items to submit for digitization, the bill was always in my mind as an item that had to be included, so that it would become known and available digitally to everyone who went to the MDL’s website.

The bill is a wonderful example of how important St. Peter and Nicollet County were in the 1850s. Having it in our collection demonstrates how determined the Nicollet County Historical Society has been, and continues to be, to fulfill its mission of collecting and preserving items that tell the story of the history of Nicollet County. No other museum in Minnesota has anything like the bill to move the capital in the years prior to statehood.

From its home in the Treaty Site History Center, the Nicollet County Historical Society in St. Peter, Minnesota, preserves the past of this south central Minnesota county by collecting census records, maps, artifacts and photographs. The Nicollet County Historical Society's project with the Minnesota Digital Library includes images related to the Minnesota River Valley, the St. Peter State Hospital, area businesses and agriculture, and the county's many communities.

Browse the Nicollet County Historical Society collection in MDL.

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