Sibley had seen himself as a friend to the Dakota. He believed they could take up farming and coexist with white people in Minnesota. But now even some Dakota he knew, men who had started to assimilate, were murdering settlers. In his letters, Sibley was bitter. quote: "A great public crime has been committed"
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