The Dakota War in Minnesota

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The Dakota have lived in Minnesota for at least a thousand years. In the mid-1800s white people started flooding in and they wanted land. The country's leaders going back to the founders talked bluntly about prying land out of Indian hands. A leading negotiator for the whites during these treaty deals was a man named Henry Chibli, who later became its first governor.

Growing up in Mankato, Minnesota, John Biewen heard next to nothing about the town’s most important historical event. In 1862, Mankato was the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history – the hanging of 38 Dakota warriors – following one of the major wars between Plains Indians and settlers. In this documentary, originally produced for This American Life, John goes back to Minnesota to explore what happened, and why Minnesotans didn’t talk about it afterwards.

Image: The Minnesota State Seal, 1858

Key sources for this episode:

Gwen Westerman, Mni Sota MakoceMary Wingerd, North Country: The Making of Minnesota