Near St. Peter in Nicollet County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Land-Seas
It would have looked very different than it does today. To the west (your left) was a rolling prairie — vast, nearly treeless grasslands. In the summer the prairie would be ablaze with colorful flowers. Across the river was a dense forest. The "Big Woods" to the north provided native people with a variety of plant foods — cranberries, chokecherries, and sugar made from the sap of maple trees. And the woods were filled with a wealth of game — deer, black bear, rabbits, and other small animals.
"The idea of space"
Easterners and Europeans were puzzled by the wide expanses of the prairie. Some early settlers believed that crops would not grow on land where trees did not grow. They homesteaded in the forest and cleared trees to make fields. Frank B. Mayer, a visiting Baltimore artist, was one of many who compared the prairie to an ocean: "The idea of space, an important element of the sublime, is the poetic attribute of the prairie," he wrote. "That peculiar charm which the ocean exerts over the mind is likewise felt on these land-seas."
Traverse des Sioux
Erected by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Minnesota Historical Society series list.
Location. 44° 21.016′ N, 93° 56.985′ W. Marker is near St. Peter, Minnesota, in Nicollet County. Marker can be reached from North Minnesota Avenue (U.S. 169) near Dodd Avenue (State Highway 22), on the right when traveling north. Marker is along an interpretive trail that is adjacent to the Nicollet County Historical Society Treaty Site History Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1851 North Minnesota Avenue, Saint Peter MN 56082, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. "Only a Memory Now" (within shouting distance of this marker); Ecakensdonyapi (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Archaeology (about 300 feet away); Welcome to Traverse des Sioux (about 400 feet away); Ministering to the Dakota (about 400 feet away); A Minority in Their Homeland (about 500 feet away); Traverse des Sioux (about 500 feet away); Treaty of Traverse Des Sioux (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Peter.