The US-Dakota War, 150 years later

August 14, 2012

This year marks 150 years since the US-Dakota war, a conflict that shaped the state of Minnesota, and its bitter consequences are still felt today.

  • Little War on the Prairie
    It was 150 years ago this month that the U.S.-Dakota war ended with one of the most noteworthy events in Minnesota history -- the hanging of 38 Dakota men in Mankato. We tell the story from the perspective of John Biewen, a Mankato native who heard next to nothing about the war during his childhood there.December 11, 2012
  • Dakota riders begin somber journey to mark 150 years since executions
    Dakota Indian horseback riders and support teams are gathering in South Dakota on Monday for an annual memorial journey to southern Minnesota. Their ride will end in Mankato on Dec. 26, the 150th anniversary of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. On that day in 1862, 38 Dakota men were hanged from a single gallows platform in downtown Mankato in retribution for the US-Dakota war.December 10, 2012
  • Sheldon Wolfchild's view of the US-Dakota War: Minnesota Sounds and Voices
    Sheldon Wolfchild from the Lower Sioux Agency in southern Minnesota says few Americans understand what caused the US-Dakota War of 1862. And he said he recognizes that emotions run high on all sides. Still, he's firm on this: The Dakota people didn't cause the war.September 7, 2012
  • Minnesota Sounds and Voices: White settlers' voices in US-Dakota War exhibit
    Jan Klein, a descendant of white settlers killed in the US- Dakota War of 1862, wants to make sure her ancestors aren't forgotten, and she was one of 85 people who advised the Minnesota Historical Society on its exhibit about that war.August 24, 2012
  • On Minn., SD border, ceremony marks Dakota war
    One-hundred-fifty years after the government exiled most Dakota from Minnesota following the U.S. Dakota War of 1862, more than 250 people made a symbolic return to the state.August 17, 2012
  • Lonely outpost marks US-Dakota War's start
    It was 150 years ago today that four angry Dakota Indians killed several settlers near the tiny town of Acton, Minn. Within a day, the Lower Sioux Agency had been overrun and an unprecedented war between the Dakota and U.S. soldiers had begun. The effects of that war, which lasted just a few weeks, still reverberate in Minnesota today.August 17, 2012
  • Historical accounts of U.S.-Dakota War change through years
    Historians agree that the U. S. - Dakota War of 1862 was one of Minnesota's most momentous events. That part of the state's history has been documented and shared by people who have a range of perspectives.August 17, 2012
  • Stanley Crooks: Mdewakanton were divided over US-Dakota War
    MPR News has been marking the 150th anniversary of the US-Dakota War of 1862 by speaking with various people about the implications of the conflict. Stanley Crooks, chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux community, spoke with Cathy Wurzer of Morning Edition.August 16, 2012
  • President Lincoln's role in the US-Dakota War of 1862
    The conflict between the Dakota people and European settlers had been building long before the first shots were fired in the Dakota War. Dave Nichols, author of 'Lincoln and the Indians,' discussed this chapter in history with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer.August 14, 2012
  • Minn. art exhibit explores US-Dakota War
    A Minneapolis art gallery is opening an exhibit by Native American artists reflecting on the 150th anniversary of the US-Dakota War of 1862.July 28, 2012
  • Finding balanced view of the US-Dakota War of 1862
    This year, we are marking the 150th anniversary of the U.S-Dakota War of 1862, one of the most significant and controversal chapters in Minnesota history. It's a challenging subject to tackle, but one that people in Minnesota need to understand.July 10, 2012
  • Feelings last long over US-Dakota War of 1862
    The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 only lasted six weeks, but it had huge repercussions for descendants of people killed in the conflict and its aftermath.July 4, 2012
  • MN Gov. Ramsey a controversial leader before war in 1862
    On Saturday, an exhibit about the war opens at the Minnesota History Center in downtown St. Paul. Annette Atkins, who teaches history at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University, joins us to discuss the exhibit.June 28, 2012
  • Minn. History Center exhibit to mark US-Dakota War
    The Minnesota Historical Society is marking the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 with a new exhibit and other programs.March 17, 2012
  • Little Crow was 'born to be a leader' in the Dakota War of 1862
    Cathy Wurzer talks with historian Annette Atkins about the role of Dakota Indian leader Little Crow in the Dakota War of 1862.March 5, 2012
  • The Dakota War, and Gov. Henry Sibley in retrospect
    As we head into the somber commemoration of the Dakota War this year, we thought it appropriate to call in historian Annette Atkins to help us learn more about Gov. Henry Sibley and his times, and the events that laid the groundwork for the war.February 20, 2012
  • Minnesota's Uncivil War
    An examination of the Dakota War from the perspective of descendants, from September 2002.

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