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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.

Based primarily on manuscripts in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, this publication presents the story of Dakota Mission work in southern Minnesota during the nineteenth century. The author reports in detail on the formation, establishment, and decline of the Dakota Mission, with much attention paid to the backgrounds and personalities of the individuals involved. The mission at Lac Qui Parle is emphasized, with chapters addressing the building of the station and its domestic life. A bibliography and chronology of events are appended.

This document examines the emergence of railroads in the Minnesota River Valley during the 1850s and 1860s by focusing on the role of the Southern Minnesota Railroad Company (first known as the Root River and Southern Minnesota Land Company), which was later absorbed by the Minnesota Valley Railroad Company. Issues discussed include delays caused by the Panic of 1857 and by the Civil War, the progression of railroad construction, and the early use of the trains.

Based on the book The Red River Trails: Oxcart Routes Between St. Paul and the Selkirk Settlement, 1820-1870, this article focuses on the symbolic role the trails played in linking two distance cultures (the preindustrial hunting-farming communities in Canada and the growing river town of St. Paul) as well a two geographical areas. Utilizing primary sources, the author explores the various perceptions of the prairie, the trails crossed, and how those perceptions were influenced by the traveler's point of origin and destination.