The Battle of Little Crow

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Little Crow, a member of the Ojibwe tribe, refused to fight in the Civil War. The young warriors called him a coward and said he was fooling himself. Little Crow's response: "Talyate doo taz not a coward" Historian Mary Winkard says this is a crucial point that's often missed when the story is told in Minnesota.

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