Sioux

A Small Bit of Bread and Butter: Letters from the Dakota Territory 1832-1869

Riggs, Maida Leonard
This edited collection of letters, written by pioneer missionary Mary Ann Clark Longely Riggs to her family, presents an account of life in the territory and state of Minnesota from 1837 t o1862. Grouped chronologically, the letters report on her journey west from Massachusetts, her time at the Lac Qui Parle Mission and the Mission at Traverse des Sioux, and her experiences following the 1862 Sioux Uprising.
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A Frontier Fort at Peacetime

Smith , Hubert G.
This article discusses Fort Ridgely, concentrating on its lesser known history before and after the Sioux Uprising of 1862. Built in 1853, along the Minnesota River upriver from present-day New Ulm, the fort was intended to provide military protection for the Upper Minnesota River following the Sioux treaties of 1851. The author describes daily life at the fort, relying on primary sources including letters, reports, and journals.

The Lai Qui Parle Indian Mission

Gates, Charles M
This article discusses the Sioux mission station at Lac Qui Parle, along the upper Minnesota River, founded in 1835 and maintained until 1854. Background is given for the mission's founders, Dr. Thomas Smith Williamson and Alexander Huggins, and how they came to establish the station. Details are provided on the station's physical infrastructure, efforts to "educate and civilize" the Indians, and the difficulties encountered in the process.

Joseph Renville of Lac Qui Parle

Ackerman, Gertrude
This article explores the life of Joseph Renville, a fur trader at the Lac Qui Parle post who served as guide and interpreter for such explorers of the Minnesota River Valley as Zebulon Pike and Stephen Long. Topics addressed include Renville's background, his experiences with the Sioux, and his role in the War of 1812.

A Portion of the American People': The Sioux Sign a Treaty in Washington in 1858

Newcombe, Barbara T
This article discusses events surrounding the 1858 signing of a treaty between the U.S. government and the Sioux, which resulted in the loss of half of the land deeded to the tribe in the previous treaty of 1851. The author describes the makeup of the treaty delegation, the trip to Washington, DC, and the long process that led to an agreement.

The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834

Pond, Samuel W
Originally published in 1908, this book was written by a missionary who worked in Dakota settlements in the Minnesota River Valley near Fort Snelling, at Lac Qui Parle, an near Fort Ridgely. Pond's observations encompass a wide range of social and cultural aspects, including tools and weapons, hunting, agriculture, government, language and writing, music, religion, feasts and dances, the condition of women, and medicinal practices.
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