Pilot Knob is a bluff high point overlooking where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers converge. It is considered a sacred burial ground and meeting place by the Mdewakanton Sioux. The Treaty of 1851 was signed here, which ceded vast tribal lands to the U.S. government.

A group of non-profit organizations and government entities including Dakota County, Mendota Heights, the Trust for Public Land and Green River Greening collaborated in the 2000s to purchase the land for public use and preserve and restore its natural features. It stands as a historic site and viewing area.