“Commemorating Controversy:  The Dakota –US War of 1862”

Display open June 7th – June 30th

Grand Opening:  Friday, June 15th    4-7 PM

The exhibit was produced by Gustavus Adolphus College students, in conjunction with the Nicollet County Historical Society. Twelve panels explore the war’s causes, voices, events, and long-lasting consequences.

In the late summer of 1862 a war raged across southern Minnesota between Dakota warriors, U.S. military and immigrant settlers. In the end, hundreds were dead, and thousands more would lose their homes forever. The day after Christmas, 1862, thirty-eight Dakota men were hung in Mankato by order of Abraham Lincoln. It remains the largest mass execution in United States history. The bloodshed of 1862 and its aftermath left deep wounds that have yet to heal.  For all of us, what happened 150 years ago continues to matter today.

The McLeod County Historical Society will host the traveling exhibit, Commemorating Controversy: The Dakota – U.S. War of 1862 from Thursday, June 7th through Saturday, June 30th.  The special exhibit will be open for viewing during the Museum’s regularly scheduled hours, Monday, Thursday, Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM.  For special tours and large groups, please contact the Museum to schedule an appointment.

The project was funded by Gustavus Adolphus College, Nicollet County Historical Society, Minnesota Humanities Center, Minnesota Historical Society, and the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.  It’s impossible for one display, person, book, or site to tell the whole story of 1862. The research, writing, and production process for these panels left us with much more information than could possibly be included.  We hope that this exhibit answers many questions, but also encourages you to learn more.

The McLeod County Historical Society will be hosting a special opening of the Display on Friday, June 15th, when the Museum will also showcase artifacts from our collections that reflect what happened in McLeod County in 1862 and the years following the tragedy.  We hope you will make time to see this limited display event.

Art Credit Above:  Medicine Dance of the Sioux or Dakotah Indians on the St. Peters River near Fort Snelling 1847, Seth Eastman (1808-1875) From the Collection of the Minnesota Historical Society.