The construction of Fort Anthony in 1819, later renamed Fort Snelling, prompted the settlement of Minnesota Territory. Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, the fort served both as a military center and base for western exploration. Among the settlers were a handful of Europeans, mostly Swiss and Scots, who had fled the dangers and hardships in the Selkirk Colony Red River Settlement to the north. On March 3, 1849, the Territory of Minnesota was created. Its eastern, northern, and southern boundaries were the same as those of today's state. The western limits extended to the Missouri and White Earth rivers, including most of the present North Dakota. Minnesota was admitted to the Union in 1858.