When Rice Park was gifted to St. Paul 170 years ago, it was an overgrown pasture frequented by more sheep than people.

As the city grew up around it, the park became St. Paul’s most important public square — the site of celebrations, political rallies and outdoor concerts.

Rice Park has undergone several transformations over the years. The latest is scheduled to wrap up this month after a handful of construction delays.

Donated by early Minnesota politician Henry M. Rice in 1849, the park “was kept in a tolerable order” early on by a German florist, who was allowed to grow flowers and vegetables on its 1.62-acre grounds in exchange for his maintenance work, according to Christopher C. Andrews’ 1890 history of St. Paul.

The first addition to the park was a handful of trees donated in 1862 by the city’s mayor. St. Paul’s fledgling police force was enlisted to plant them.

A fountain and bandstand followed in 1872, and electric lights were installed in 1883, writes Larry Millett in his American Institute of Architects guide to downtown St. Paul.

Although the original fountain was removed in 1925, the park remained largely unchanged until 1965, when it received an extensive facelift, Millett writes.

A circular plaza was added, and at its center a new fountain was built featuring a sculpture of a young girl by Alonzo Hauser titled “The Source.”

These changes to Rice Park are chronicled in this series of images by Pioneer Press photographers.