Fort Snelling in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Imprisonment of Dakota Families
Wokiksuye/Remembrance
Photographed by McGhiever, June 30, 2023
1. Imprisonment of Dakota Families Marker
Following the Battle of Wood Lake, 1,600 Dakota, mostly women and children, were forced to march from Camp Release to Fort Snelling. Rather than take up arms, many Dakota had protected white settlers and captives during the war. Arriving on November 13, 1862, the 1,600 were confined under guard in a fenced enclosure below the fort.
In this concentration camp, the Dakota families enduring crowding, hunger, and disease over the winter of 186263. As many as 300 people died. Amid all this sickness, remembered one detainee, it seemed doubtful at night whether a person would be alive in the morning.
Authorities exiled most of the survivors to the Crow Creek reservation in South Dakota in 1863, where hundreds more would die of starvation and neglect.
[Captions:]
A concentration camp is a place where people are imprisoned not because they committed any crimes but simply because of who they are. For many the word summons images of World War II and the Holocaust. However, concentration camps have existed throughout history in many places around the world, including the United States.
This image, likely taken in late 1862, shows the stockade below the fort that held Dakota noncombatants from November 1862 to March 1863.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Law Enforcement • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
Location. 44° 53.56′ N, 93° 10.956′ W. Marker is in Fort Snelling, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It can be reached from Tower Avenue north of Olson Memorial Highway (Minnesota Route 55/62), on the right when traveling west. The marker is at Historic Fort Snelling, on the paved path between the visitor center and the old fort. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 Tower Avenue, Saint Paul MN 55111, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Executions at Fort Snelling (here, next to this marker); USDakota War of 1862 (a few steps from this marker); Pride (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Peters Agency (within shouting distance of this marker); DAR Commemorative Plaques (within shouting distance of this marker); Perseverance (within shouting distance of this marker); The Round Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); Sacrifice (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Snelling.
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Prairie (was within shouting distance
Photographed by McGhiever, June 30, 2023
2. Imprisonment of Dakota Families Marker (left) in front of Historic Fort Snelling
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 503 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
