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This American Life: Little War on the Prairie, Mankato, Minnesota
150th Anniversary of Mankato’s mass execution of 38 Dakota Indians
Photo by Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Words on a marker in Reconciliation Park in Mankato where 38 Dakota were hung on December 26, 1862. This stands as the largest mass execution in American history. Initially, 303 were sentenced to death. President Abraham Lincoln approved the deaths of 39 and granted a last-minute reprieve to one other.
MANKATO, MN- This American Life’s podcast episode “Little War on the Prairie” by Ira Glass shares the quiet story of the hanging of 38 Dakota warriors in 1862.
John Biewen, a Mankato native and Minnesota State University, Mankato professor and member of the Dakota tribe Gwen Westerman, explore Mankato to uncover the story of the events that led up to the Dakota War.
- The 38 Dakotans were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota.
- Dakota Chief, Little Crow led the uprising in 1862.
- Four young Sioux hunters killed five white settlers.
- White settlers tricked the Dakota into selling their land by causing them to go into debt.
- August 18, 1862 Little Crow led Dakota Warriors on their assault on federal outpost that sat on their land.
- 1,700 Dakota civilians were marched 150 miles down the Minnesota River, while white people attacked them with rocks, clubs, and knives.
- 303 Dakota men were condemned by Sibley court, president Lincoln ordered Minnesota to hold off the hangings until his office could review the trial transcripts.
- Fall of 1862 Lincoln wrote a list of 38 Dakota names to be hanged out of 303.
- December 26th, 1862 38 Dakotas were hanged by the order of Abraham Lincoln, making the execution the largest in the United States History
This American Life program explores into the unknown story of the execution of 38 Dakota warriors and why so much of the Minnesota and United States population know so little about the largest execution in the country. You can listen to the podcast “Little War on the Prairie” online on the This American Life website.
To learn more about the Dakota Conflict, you can visit del.icio.us, you can also visit the Mankato website to learn about what events are taking place to educate and remember the 150th anniversary of the Dakota execution.
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