In August of 1862, Minnesota was shook by war. After years of oppression and genocidal policies, a faction of Dakota soldiers retaliated by attacking, killing, and taking captive several hundred noncombatant U.S. citizens living throughout south and southwestern Minnesota. The attacks, which have become known as the U.S. – Dakota War of 1862, lasted…
In 1837 the Dakota people signed a treaty ceding their lands on the east side of the Mississippi River. Before this treaty was even ratified, individual traders, mostly whiskey sellers, began staking claims along the east side of the Mississippi River near Fort Snelling and Mendota. One such claim was made by a Canadian…
August 18th marks the anniversary of an important, but often overlooked, conflict between Mdewakanton Dakota and United States settlers. The result was the largest mass execution in United States history. Many Minnesotans are unfamiliar with a war that took place right here within their state. But this war was actually an important watershed…