At the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, a Dakota homeland and gathering place for thousands of years, rivers shaped both the land and its history as fur traders, soldiers, and settlers passed through an area central to the formation of Minnesota. The confluence’s significance was recognized in 1960 when Fort Snelling became Minnesota’s first National Historic Landmark, and the state established Fort Snelling State Park in 1962; in 1988, the park became part of the 72 mile long Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Once considered main travel routes, the rivers later became obstacles to modern transportation, and in the 19th century ferries carried people, livestock, and supplies across them, though crossings depended on schedules and safe conditions. The Fort Snelling Ferry crossed the Mississippi River and the Mendota Ferry crossed the Minnesota River, serving streams of westbound travelers, before bridges and railroads allowed people to cross more freely. The Mendota Bridge, completed in 1926, was then the longest concrete arch bridge in the world, and remnants of the Fort Snelling Bridge can still be seen on the St. Paul side of the bluff.