Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark Van Cleve

author

Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark Van Cleve

1819–1907

Born at Fort Snelling in 1819, she is remembered as the first white child born in what became Minneapolis and later wrote a vivid memoir of early frontier life. Her story links military outposts, Minnesota pioneer history, and one woman’s long memory of a changing region.

1 Audiobook

'Three Score Years and Ten'

'Three Score Years and Ten'

by Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark Van Cleve

About the author

Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark Van Cleve was born on May 1, 1819, at Fort Snelling, in the years when the area was still a military frontier. She was the daughter of Major Nathan Clark and later became widely known in Minnesota history as an early settler whose life stretched from the fort era into the twentieth century.

In 1905, she published Three Score Years and Ten, a memoir describing her experiences in the Northwest and the growth of the St. Anthony and Minneapolis area. That book helped preserve first-hand memories of frontier life, travel, family life, and the dramatic changes she witnessed over nearly nine decades.

She died in 1907, leaving behind a record that remains valuable to readers interested in early Minnesota and the American frontier. Her life is often remembered not only for its "firsts," but for the way she turned personal memory into local history.