The area around the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers has been a center of activity in the region for centuries, where generations of people gathered to live, work, and recreate. Native peoples, explorers, military personnel, and settlers reached it by using the rivers as roads, and the confluence was a well-known meeting place. A trail now part of Fort Snelling State Park was once a railroad line linking Fort Snelling to Mendota. The significance of the meeting of the rivers was formally recognized in 1960, when Fort Snelling was designated Minnesota's first National Historic Landmark. In 1962, the State of Minnesota established Fort Snelling State Park to protect the area for future generations, and in 1988 the park became part of the 72 mile long Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.