As part of the seven-county metropolitan area, Stillwater offers a harmonious atmosphere of planned development and managed growth, coupled with more than one hundred years of rich history that has placed the City of Stillwater itself on the National Registry of Historic Places. The site of the state's territorial convention in 1848, Stillwater was a thriving logging town into the late 1800's. Stillwater takes pride in preserving the past. As you explore Stillwater you will notice parts of the first territorial prison in Minnesota, including the warden's home, antique shops in the Isaac Staples Mill, shops, taverns, offices, restaurants along Main Street that once was a rooming house, railroad building, saloon, brewery, or a theater.
A trolley tour through Stillwater provides a look at the churches and many homes built in the 1800s, the first Court House in Minnesota, and a stop at Pioneer Park, once the estate of Isaac Staples a lumber baron in the 1800s, for a panoramic view of the City that is now used for family reunions, weddings and receptions. You will notice the river boats going up and down the St. Croix preserving the days of paddle wheel travel. You can also tour the City from an air balloon.