Frank Blackwell Mayer, a Baltimore artist, journeyed to Traverse des Sioux and Mendota on the Minnesota frontier in 1851 to record meetings between United States officials and Indian tribes who were ceding title to much of Southern Minnesota and portions of Iowa and the Dakota.  Mayer made extensive journal entries and countless sketches while on his travels in Minnesota.  They provide a descriptive and visual record of Native American life as he saw it, particularly among the Dakota.  Mayer includes sketches of lacrosse, child rearing practices, smoking the peace pipe, buffalo dancers, tepees and summer lodges, and portraits of prominent leaders.

Article Source:  Lass, William E. Treaty of the Traverse des Sioux.  St. Peter, MN:  Nicollet County Historical Society, 2011.

Image Source:  Magnolia Box http://www.magnoliabox.com/tag/Sioux