Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota. The city began its life in the early 1800s when a collection of fur traders, explorers and missionaries came to the area for the protection that Fort Snelling offered. Many of these people had come south from Canada and were of French descent; others had come from the East after treaties with Native Americans officially opened the area. By the early 1820s the area had become important as a trading center and a destination for settlers heading west and was known as Pig's Eye Landing. In 1841 St. Paul Church was established and that same year the name of the settlement was changed in honor of the newly constructed church. In 1849 Minnesota was named a territory with St. Paul named as its capital. In 1850, the city narrowly survived a proposed law to move the capital to St. Peter. In 1854 St. Paul incorporated as a city and in 1858 Minnesota was admitted to the union with St. Paul becoming the 32nd state capital.