Near Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Wokiksuye K'a Woyuonihan
Remembering and Honoring
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, June 11, 2011
1. Wokiksuye K'a Woyuonihan Marker
This memorial honors the sixteen hundred Dakota people, many of them women and children, who were imprisoned here at Fort Snelling in the aftermath of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota Conflict. Frightened, uprooted, and uncertain of the fate of their missing relatives, the interned Dakota suffered severe hardship. At least 130 died during the cold winter months of captivity.
In May, 1863, the survivors from the camp were crowded aboard steamboats and taken to Crow Creek in southeastern South Dakota. Those who survived Crow Creek were moved again three years later to the Santee Reservation in Nebraska.
The pipestone in the center of the memorial was placed here by Amos Owen of the Prairie Island Indian Community during a ceremony in 1987. Please be respectful of this sacred place.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Native Americans • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Minnesota Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1863.
Location. 44° 53.443′ N, 93° 10.91′ W. Marker is near Minneapolis, Minnesota
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, June 11, 2011
2. Wokiksuye K'a Woyuonihan Marker
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Welcome to Fort Snelling State Park / A Moving Obstacle (within shouting distance of this marker); The Prairie (approx. 0.2 miles away); Colonel Josiah Snelling (approx. 0.2 miles away); Giacomo Constantino Beltrami (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elizabeth R. Snelling (approx. 0.2 miles away); U.S. Army, Buildings 17 and 18 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Three Islands in the Mississippi (approx. Ό mile away); Whiskey (approx. 0.4 miles away).
More about this marker. [photo captions]
Dakota woman Photograph by B.F. Upton
Fort Snelling prison compound, 1862-63 Photograph by B.F. Upton
Wo-wi-na-pe and other prisoners Photograph by Whitney's Gallery
Little Crow's son, Wo-wi-na-pe Photographer unknown
All photographs courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society
Also see . . .
1. U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Minnesota Historical Society; Historic Fort Snelling. (Submitted on December 21, 2011.)
2. 2012: How should Minnesota remember the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862?. (Submitted on December 21, 2011.)
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, June 11, 2011
3. Dakota Memorial
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, June 11, 2011
4. Pipestone
Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,642 times since then and 147 times this year. Last updated on March 15, 2019, by McGhiever of St Paul, Minnesota. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 21, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
