One Book One Community

Hutchinson, Minnesota is a town of about 16,000 located in Central Minnesota, where the Big Woods become prairie.  This year the town is participating in a One Book, One Community event which centers around the book Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.  I have not read the book but it has gotten great reviews from a broad spectrum of readers.  Kline's story intertwines the lives of two orphans in different eras.  One is a modern teenager who is cleaning out the attic of an old woman as part of her communitiy service.  The other story follows an immigrant from Ireland who was part of social experiment in which New York City's orphans were sent by train to the Midwest to be adopted.  There is a book club gathering and a presentation at the local museum as part of the program

The first step to getting involved was to register as a participant.  This can be done at the Heart of Hutch website.  Next each participant needs to read the book sometime between January and April.  There are print and audio copies available at the local library but there is a waiting list.  I downloaded mine on the Kindle for only $1.99.

The first social event for the book is on January 26 where the McLeod County Historical Society will present a PBS documentary on the Orphan Train.


I am excited to start reading and the learn about thsi part of history and how the area that I live in was involved.

http://www.hutchinsonleader.com/news/extra/one-book-one-community/article_302c470d-6fb1-57ef-87ac-a95e5c5cf91a.html

 http://heartofhutch.com/

 http://www.mcleodhistory.org/

Little Crow

In Hutchinson there is a statue created by a local artist that has stood on the banks of the river for many years. The figure of Little Crow looks out over the river that bears his name. He is immortalized in bronze even though he was killed by a local farmer just miles from this statue. It is not just in Hutchinson that Little Crow's image is that of both a hero and an enemy. Accounts of the Mdewakanton leader have portrayed him as either a brutal warrior who attacked whites, including settlers of Hutchinson, or as a skilled politician who fruitlessly tried to maneuver his people out of a chaotic situation.

www.mcleodhistory.org

The 1800s was a tumultuous time for the Sioux who lived in what would become Minnesota. In 1810 Little Crow was born into a village called Kaposia, which means “not encumbered with baggage”. It was north of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. The economic activities of the village centered on hunting and gathering. Little Crow was named “Taoyateduta” meaning “His Red Nation”. It was symbolic of his belief that Dakota men existed for the benefit of the band and the tribe. He felt a sense of destiny.
In the early 19th century whites were moving in on Sioux land. Fort Snelling was built. Little Crow’s family gained prestige for their ability to negotiate a peaceful coexistence with whites. They became dependent on the fur trade. Resources became depleted. In 1837 the government offered the Mdewakanton one million dollars for their five million acres. The Mdewakantan became dependent on the government annuity from their treaty. Little Crow traveled to Washington DC in 1852. Little Crow settled on the Upper Minnesota reservation and distributed the annuity money. His position gained him celebrity status.

Little Crow was unwilling to change some of his traditions. He would not cut his hair or wear the clothing of white farmers. He refused to become a farmer. He raised crops with his relatives to share with the family but not to sell for profit. He continued to participate in sacred feasts and ceremonial dances. He would not give up his religion and planned for a journey to the land of the ancestors. He also refused to give up his medicine sack.

By 1855 German immigrants were settling on the Cottonwood River in New Ulm. Young Indians were upset over the loss of their hunting lands. Whites cut timber and plowed the lands. The land could no longer support hunting and gathering. Young warriors began to kill the livestock that belonged to white farmers. In March of 1858 24 Native elders travelled to Washington DC. Little Crow acted as spokesman for the Mdewakaton. He had the opportunity to observe white culture. He complained to federal officials that money from other treaties had not been distributed to the Sioux. He also complained that German settlers on the Cottonwood River were on reservation land which led to a debate about the reservation’s boundaries. The government insisted that the boundary was further north. They wanted to make the reservation the permanent home for the Sioux and to divide the land into individual farms spread out over ten miles of land on the Minnesota River. Little Crow spent three months in Washington negotiating the treaty.

The winter of 1961-62 was unusually cold and there was a food shortage at the agency. Hunting Indians were denied food which was given to farming families instead. Rumors started that the government was not paying annuities because of the Civil War. Indians began demanding annuities and food. The traders were being unjust with the amount of debt owed. There was starvation at the Yellow Medicine Agency. On August 4 a group broke into the food warehouse. The next day a council was held in the soldiers’ lodge to discover who was behind the attack. Little Crow used the conflict to enhance his reputation as a leader. He spoke with agents and traders and reminded them that payment was overdue and made arrangements with traders to supply food. Myrick refused to help but Captain Marsh ordered supplies to be delivered to the Indians which included 130 barrels of food and 30 barrels of pork.

On August 17 an event occurred in Acton that ignited the ethnic tension. About six young hunters stopped at the farm of Robinson Jones where a quarrel erupted. Indians felt they had been offended and killed five white settlers. After leaving Acton the Indians reported to the Soldiers’ Lodge whose members supported a war. The soldiers went to Little Crow who tried to dissuade them from pursuing war.  An attack was planned on the Redwood Agency for August 18.  Little Crow warned those on the agency that he believed were innocent.

Grave site of the five settlers who were killed near Acton.  150 years after their deaths the descendants of Dakota and the descendants of the European-American settlers met for a healing ceremony.

Although Little Crow will go down in history as the leader of the Dakota during the conflict, his leadership was ineffective.  The soldiers only listened to him when they agreed with him.  The tribe was splintered and Little Crow had no political power.  He did not go with on August 19 when Dakota warriors attacked nearby settlements.  He hoped to keep the support of the farmer Indians who did not want to attack white settlers.  

By August 28 Little Crow and his people retreated to the north.  He began to correspond with Henry Sibley in order to find acceptable terms for peace.  After being defeated at Wood Lake by Sibley's men, Little Crow left Minnesota territory.  He tried to find allies in Canada but had no support among the Ojibwe.

This monument marks the place where Little Crow was killed.  It is located to the side of McLeod County Road 18 about 6 miles north of Hutchinson, MN.

On July 3, 1863 Nathan Lamson found two Indians picking berries near his farm six miles outside of Hutchinson.  He fired on them when they came into range.  Little Crow’s son was wounded.  Shots were exchanged and Lamson was wounded.  Little Crow was mortally wounded.  Chauncey Lamson, Nathan’s son, returned to Hutchinson for help.  Little Crow’s body was moved into town and left on Main Street until it was later moved to the refuse pit outside of town.  In August of 1863, Little Crow’s death was verified.  

Minnehaha Falls

In 1819 Colonel Josiah Snelling took command of Fort Snelling. He set about to rebuild and strengthen the fortifications on the Mississippi River. To do this he needed lumber. A mill was built at what is now called Minnehaha Falls. However it was then called Little Falls. In 1820 the water level at the falls became too low for the mill so it was moved to the St. Anthony Falls. Two years later Josiah's son William Joseph Snelling and Joseph Renshaw Brown led an expedition to find the source of Minnehaha Creek. They discovered that Lake Minnetonka was the source. In 1829 Brown retired from military service and began farming land near the falls, which were then called Brown's falls. Minnehaha is a Dakota word that means waterfall.

Because it was once at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the falls were a popular destination for steamboats carrying tourists in the 1840s and 50s. The Mississippi connected Minnesota to the rest of the world. Steamboats that traveled the river enabled a healthy trade system and also became the start of Minnnesota's tourism industry. The famous artist George Catlin named the tour taken by steamboats "the Fashionable Tour". It became a favorite destination for honeymooners. A stagecoach took travelers from the docks in St. Paul to Minnehaha Falls.

But it wasn't until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about the falls in his poem "Song of Hiawatha" in 1853 that they captured the nation's attention. The poem is a romantic version of Indian legends recorded by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.

The park that encompasses the falls is one of Minneapolis' oldest city parks.

Sources
http://www.minneapolisparks.org/documents/parks/Parks_Lakes_Trails_Much_More.pdf

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/hpc/landmarks/Minnehaha_District.asp

25 Fascinating Facts about Minnesota

Minnesotans are a proud people.  And we have great reason to be.  This article from KFAN radio includes 25 Fascinating Facts about Minnesota.  Many of them contain contributions to history made by Minnesotans.  I think there will be some field trips and more posts about this article.....

http://www.kfan.com/photos/main/25-fascinating-facts-about-minnesota-376975/22004492/#/0/22003239

Acton, Minnesota

The Tragedy at Acton Township

The memorial at the site of the Jones homestead.

What was Minnesota like in August of 1862?

In 1862 the Civil War consumed the attention of most Americans.  Minnesota had only been a state for a few years.  In order to attract settlers and free up farm land, the government had made a deal with the Dakota Indians who occupied Minnesota.  Europeans first met the Dakota in the 1650’s.  Seven major tribal groups existed in Minnesota;  the Sisseton, the Yankton, the Tetons, the Yantonais, the Mdewakanton, the Wahpeton, and the Wahpekute.  The Mdewakanton occupied the Mississippi River Valley and traded with the Europeans.  By 1820 the game herds on the Minnesota prairie were becoming depleted.  The eastern Sioux were being pushed west by settlers.  In 1857 a treaty was signed in which the Mdewakanton relinquished their lands in exchange for reservations that were created along the Minnesota River.  The reservation was to be shared by four tribes that consisted of six thousand people. 

The Lower Sioux Agency included well-tended fields, storage buildings, homes for government agents, and a boarding school.  Stores were built by traders who settled in the area.  There were one hundred white settlers living on agency land.

In 1855 the U.S. Government provided the tribes with cash annuities.  The Indians were expected to settle on reservation land and in return they would be given food, taught how to farm, and taught Christianity.  There were nine bands of the Mdewakanton tribe that settled on the Lower Sioux Agency.

The Upper Sioux Agency was the home of the Sisseton and Wahpeton tribes which were made up of four thousand Indians.  The agency boasted new buildings, which even included a  hotel.  There were also missionaries who served the agency.

In 1862 there was a conflict in the spring over debts that were owned to the traders who lived on the agency.  The annuities promised to the tribes were only given to those who had cut their hair and were living as farmers.  The Civil War kept Congress from appropriating the funds in time for springtime distribution.  (Anderson, 8-12)

What happened at Acton on August 17, 1862?

Because of the lack of food available to the tribe, hunting parties would leave the reservation.  Young men went off to hunt in the Big Woods in Wahpeton territory. On Sunday, August 17, four Indians were traveling home to the Minnesota River via the Pembina-Henderson trail from a hunting trip to the Kandiyohi County area.  At noon they approached the homestead of Robinson Jones in Acton Township, approxiamately three miles southwest of Grove City.  The Indians knew Jones and his wife, who ran the general store.  The Indians were Brown Wing, Breaking Up, Kiilling Ghost, and Runs Against Something When Crawling.  They took some eggs near the fence and a quarrel broke out between two of the Indians over whether they had the right to take the eggs.  The quarrel escalated and one of the Indians dared another to shoot a white man.  The Indians approached the home and demanded liquor form Jones.  Jones and his two children were home, Clara D. Wilson, who was 15 year olds, and an eighteen month old son.  Mrs. Jones was visiting another son, Howard Baker, who lived about a half mile northeast of the Jones farm.  Jones left the store and went to the Baker residence.  The Indians challenged the white men to a target shoot.  Instead the Indians shot the settlers, including Viranus Webster, who was a young settler from Wisconsin.  She was staying at the Baker farm in a covered wagon when she was killed.  Howard Baker, the son of Mrs. Jones form her first marriage, was killed.   Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones were killed.  Mrs. Webster hid in a covered wagon.  Mrs. Baker hid with a child in the cellar.  The Indians went back to the Jones home and killed Clara Wilson.  Word of the murders spread to Forest City and a party of men went to the Jones’ home.  (Carley, 7-8)

How did the actions of four teenagers led to a war?

On the evening of August 17, the four Indians returned to the Rice Creek Village.  Red Middle Voice, the head of the village, believed that there would be trouble for the whole village.  He knew that because white women had been killed, soldiers would come.  He feared that the village would lose their annuity.  They were already outsiders at the Lower Sioux Agency.  They had separated from Shakopee because they were considered troublemakers.  They had moved from the Upper Sioux Reservation to the Lower Sioux. After the murder, Red Middle Voice moved his people back to Shakopee’s village.  Shakopee saw the incident as an opportunity to go to war with the whites.  He knew that he would need support from those living at the Lower Sioux Reservation.  He called for a council of chiefs at Little Crow’s village.  The Sioux leaders who were summoned included Mankato, Wabasha, Traveling Hail, and Big Eagle.  Little Crow lived in a house built by the U.S. government.  He told Shakopee to go to Traveling Hail for support.  He believed that Shakopee’s warriors were influenced by whiskey.  He did not want to start a war with the whites because he did not feel that there was any way that they could win.  However, he agreed to lead the Sioux in a war that would drive white settlers from the Minnesota River Valley.  He wanted to regain his position as speaker for the Lower Sioux tribes.  He also welcomed the chance to be a military leader.  (Carley 10-11)

According to Big Eagle, the Uprising had many causes.  The Sioux were dissatisfied with the actions of the whites.  They were forbidden to make war with their enemies.  They were being pressured into acculturation of a new and foreign culture.   The Sioux felt that the traders were cheating them.  They were offered credit rather than access to government payments on their annuity.  The creditors refused to allow late payments.  The whites abused the Indians, especially the women.  They believed they were better than Indians.  Not only was their conflict between whites and Indians, there was also conflict among the Sioux.  Some had adopted farming, while others continued to pursue the traditional lifestyle.  This conflict became apparent when Traveling Hail was elected to fill Little Crow’s position as speaker for the tribe.  Shakopee, the elder who was supportive of the whites, died, and his voice of reason and compromise was lost.  Indians were aware of the Civil War and the absence of the white soldiers who left to fight.  They believed that the North would lose the war and their treaty would be void.  Another source of conflict was the new Indian agents who were assigned to the Lower Sioux Agency.  The tribe did not like them; they were not respected as warriors.  The summer of 1862 produced a good crop which favored the farmers, but did not help the tribe. All of these events stirred up a desire to push the white settlers off the land and return to the ways of the past.  (Anderson, 24-25)

Dakota War of 1862:  Minnesota's Other Civil War by Kenneth Carley, published by the Minnesota Historical Society in 2001.

Through Dakota Eyes:  Narrative Accounts of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862  by Gary Clayton Anderson, published by the Minnesota Historical Society in 1980.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Who was she?

Laura Ingalls Wilder is a beloved American author whose simple style of writing is biographical and easily absorbed by people of all ages and languages.  She was one of many people who traveled westward in the 19th century to settle the prairies of Dakota Territory.  Laura was born in the Big Woods of Pepin, Wisconsin and lived there with her parents and older sister.  As a child her family moved to Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota where her father earned his living as a farmer, hotel manager, and railroad employee.  Her story captures the spirit of those who followed their dreams of a better life.  After working as a teacher for two years, Laura married another homesteader.  She kept a journal about her experiences that was published in a local newspaper.  Later, in the 1920's, she began writing the series of books that has become an early source of history for many young Americans.

According to her book, On The Banks of Plum Creek, Laura and her family lived in a sod house close to a small body of water named Plum Creek outside of Walnut Grove. The farm included 172 acres of fertile prairie.  The house was purchased from a Norwegian settler named Anders Haroldson.  Visitors to Walnut Creek can travel to a farm north of town to visit Plum Creek and see the site where the dugout used to be.  The Ingalls never had success as farmers on this land.  Charles should have made a nice profit with the wheat he planted, but a grasshopper plague ruined all of it.  After three years with no success the family moved to Iowa to manage a hotel.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove has built a replica of the dugout.

Why is she important?

Laura Ingalls Wilder was one of the first to write about Pioneer History.  She provides us with an early example of how everyday, ordinary life can be used by historians.  Keeping a journal and creating fictionalized accounts of actual events has value to historians.  Her books are used to create a vivid picture of Pioneer Life for children.  Her characters draw people to study this time in history.  Her voice paved the way for others who want to write about social and cultural history in addition to focusing on biographies of important leaders and inventors.

How is she remembered today?

Here's the interesting thing about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  She wrote about her experiences on the Minnesota and Dakota prairie at the end of the 19th century.  She had no intent to record history.   Her purpose was to record the stories of her life.  However, her stories are based on her life and not completely factual.  Names and some events have been changed.  This is understandable as most people do not want someone else including their names in a book if they have no control over how they will be portrayed (think of poor Nellie Oleson).  Reading the Little House series gives one an idea about what it was like to live in Walnut Grove, but it is not a history of Walnut Grove.  A visit to the little town on the prairie revels that the books resemble life in Walnut Grove when Laura lived there and that her father played an important role in creating a town council and building a church, but there is more to Walnut Grove's history.

The books were used to create a television series.  The TV show was great at getting people interested in Pioneer History, but they took a lot of liberties with Laura Ingalls' life.  History was rarely accurately portrayed as the show captivated audiences with the colorful cast of characters we all love.  The show wasn't even filmed in Minnesota, but on a set in California.  However, without the show, most people would not know about Laura Ingalls Wilder and Walnut Grove.  While it may not be historically accurate, the show did create a vivid picture of the farms and small towns that sprung up around the prairie.  The braids and bonnets worn by the show's young cast have become a symbol of life on the prairie.  But the show glossed over many of the hardships of Pioneer Life, such as fires, plagues of grasshoppers, blizzards, and the scarlet fever that left Mary Ingalls blind.  Also, some of my favorite characters never existed.  Miss Beadle, played by Charlotte Stewart, who regularly makes appearances in Walnut Grove, was never a teacher in the school.  There was a family named Bedal who ran the lumber yard and grocery store.  Their home was used as a school before 1875.

The town of Walnut Grove has capitilized on the world's love for Laura Ingalls, not only through the museum, but also by creating an annual pageant that has been performed for 35 years.  They provide a more in-depth and historically accurate portrayal of Laura's time in Walnut Grove.  The pageant is performed at an outdoor location and was written by James Merchant to provide entertainment and insight into the town's history.  It is directed by the local high school principal and most of the cast and crew are local.  The two-act play that is performed three weekends in July each summer shows the growth of the small town through the eyes of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Snowshoes

Snowshoeing

How did the invention of snowshoes make it possible for people to live in cold environments such as Minnesota?

Snowshoes were essential to survival in Minnesota winters because they allowed people to travel over snow no matter how deep it was. Deep snow is a challenge to humans who walk upright and cannot spread their weight out. Wearing snowshoes allowed people to hunt during the winter. Native Americans chased their prey into deep snows or unto ice until they could be cornered and killed.

How have snowshoes changed?
According to the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, the design for snowshoes was modeled after the feet of animals who were able to travel over snow. Animals such as the lynx and the snowshoe hare evolved large feet and long legs that enable them to stay atop of the deep snows. Early hunters took note of the success of the animals that they could hunt in the winter. "The first snowshoes were nothing more than bent twigs with rawhide lacing." states the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. Like other early tools, humans used what they found in their environment. They used willow and cedar branches that could be bent into the shape of shoes and created bindings from leather. Snowshoes evolved depending on their use. Large wide shoes are used to carry heavy loads across great distances. However their long tails make them extremely hard to use on anything but flat terrain. Small, round snowshoes can be used on any terrain and will not get caught in underbrush but they are more likely to sink into the snow. The Ojibwa tribes used a canoe-shaped shoe that matched the terrain of Minnesota woodlands.

Today's snowshoes are lighter and easier to maneuver than the first pairs. The frames are made of lightweight aluminum. Bindings can be made of canvas straps. Pivot systems allow the user to move the foot away from the snowshoe. Crampons and claws provide traction.

How are snowshoes used today?
Most people who use snowshoes do it for recreation although Len McDougall believes that snowshoes can be used to save lives during extreme weather conditions such as the blizzard that struck the Midwest in 1997 in which more than one hundred stranded motorists were killed. Snowshoes can be used for hiking or racing. It is an activity that provides cardiovascular exercise, builds muscle strength, and increases flexibility and coordination. It is also a great way to observe nature and discover that Minnesota is not a dormant place in the winter.

Sources
http://www.anchorage.net/1283.cfm
The Snowshoe Handbook by Len McDougall
Snowshoeing by Sally Edwards and Melissa McKenzie