The Story of Little Crow

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Lincoln had his people review the trial transcripts for evidence that the men had attacked settlers and not just shown up at battles. Lincoln himself wrote out a list of 39 Dakota names, later trimmed to 38. The day after Christmas, those men were marched onto a big platform in Mankato's town square. Four thousand people had come from miles around to watch. Little Crow was shot six months after the hangings, and his scalp, skull, and wrist bones were displayed at the Minnesota Historical Society for decades.

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