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Press Releases

U.S.- Dakota War of 1862 Press Kit(.pdf)
U.S.- Dakota War of 1862 Exhibit Press Kit(.pdf)

A new mobile tour created by the Minnesota Historical Society offers intriguing stories and reflections about historic sites along the Minnesota River Valley. Call 888-601-3010 to enjoy the tour on the road, from home or any location.

Hear, Read Compelling Oral Histories at usdakotawar.org/stories.

“The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” opens at the Minnesota History Center June 30.

A new exhibit at the Minnesota History Center and other initiatives mark 150 years since the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

Media Room Images

"A Meeting of the Grandfathers," by Lyle Miller. Painted for the Minnesota History Center's exhibit, "The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862."
“The Battle of Birch Coulee,” Lithograph by Paul G. Biersach, 1912.
Public execution of 38 Dakota Indians at Mankato, by W. H. Childs, 1862.
Sakpedan (Little Six) and Wakanozhanzhan (Medicine Bottle) at Fort Snelling, by Joel Emmons Whitney, 1864.
President Abraham Lincoln.
Col. Henry H. Sibley, pictured in his army uniform in 1862, Engraving by J. C. Buttre.
Little Crow, photograph by Joel Emmons Whitney, 1862.
Taoyateduta's (Little Crow) son, Wowinape.
Little Crow’s wife and children at Fort Snelling, ca. 1863.
Snana, a 23-year-old Dakota woman whose seven-year-old daughter dies just before the war breaks out, forms a lifelong bond with Mary Schwandt, a 14-year-old German American, whose parents and five siblings are killed during the war. Snana frees Mary from captivity and protects her during the war by hiding her and dressing her in Indian clothing.
The State of Minnesota awards this $500 bounty check to Nathan Lamson for killing Taoyateduta.
Settlers escaping from the fighting, Aug. 21, 1862.
President Abraham Lincoln writes by hand the list of 39 Dakota men to be hanged at Mankato. One man, Tatemina, was reprieved at the last minute.
Alexander Ramsey, 1862.
"The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux," by Frank Blackwell Mayer, 1885.
Internment camp at Fort Snelling. Photographer unknown.
“Attack on New Ulm,” by Anton Gag, 1904.
“The whole system is defective & must be revised or, your red children, as they call themselves, will continue to be wronged & outraged & the just vengeance of heaven continue to be poured out & visited upon this nation for its abuses & cruelty to the I n d i a n .” — George E. H. Day, report to President Abraham Lincoln, early 1862. Image of letter courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Media Resources

U.S.- Dakota War of 1862 Press Kit(.pdf)
U.S.- Dakota War of 1862 Exhibit Press Kit(.pdf)

Starting in July, visitors to the Minnesota History Center will have the opportunity to examine evidence from the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Inside a new exhibit, visitors will find documents, images and artifacts from the Society’s collections.

Additional programs and observances related to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 will be added and communicated throughout the year.

These Minnesota Historical Society staff members are available to speak to the media about the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

These resources can help you learn more about the precursors to and the aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. This list includes primary and secondary sources, websites, digitized items, Historic Sites, and recorded lectures.

The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 is a significant event in the history and development of the state of Minnesota and in the long and complex history of the Dakota people and the United States.

Major events of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, events leading to the war and events following the war.

At the Dakota Iyuhenapi Owanzida “We Gather Together as One” Dakota Nationwide Conference, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011.

These are major historic sites associated with the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.