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The land of sky blue waters is a big fresh land. You can see the bigness, the yield, the freshness. And in hands, beer you can taste it. A taste is big and fresh as the land of skyblue waters. Hands. Beer. Refreshing. John B. wins the public radio guy, makes documentaries for This American Life with Me.

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