Traverse des Sioux Treaty Site

 park, place with historical importance

From www.nchsmn.org :

For centuries, Traverse des Sioux has been a crossroads and meeting place for people of many cultures. First, the American Indians gathered here to hunt and traverse the river using the shallow crossing. During the 1800s, they were joined by Europeans who came here to trade furs and farm the fertile prairie.

In 1851, the U.S. government signed a treaty with the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of the Dakota Indians. This treaty opened millions of acres to land-hungry settlers and speculators. The thriving town of Traverse des Sioux was soon established. It had five taverns, two hotels, several churches - some 70 buildings and a population of about 300. In 1856, nearby St. Peter was chosen as the county seat, and by 1869, nothing was left of the once-booming town of Traverse des Sioux.


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Text of the treaty:
digital.library.okstate.edu/KAPPLER/Vol2/treaties/sio05...


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From www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/mnstatehistory/thedakotaco... :

The Treaty of Traverse de Sioux on July 23, 1851 between the United States government and indigenous representatives saw the Dakota give up their rights to most of southern Minnesota in return for a reservation; assistance with schools, trade, and farming; and yearly payments in food & gold. Additionally, the government agreed to pay $500,000 to move Indian villages and pay for debts the Dakota owed to traders. The United States Senate eliminated the passage granting the Dakota a reservation before ratifying the treaty. Governor Ramsey had to gain presidential permission to allow the Dakota to live on the reservation for five years before moving. Dakota resistance was understandable. To entice the Dakota to sign the treaty, traders in Minnesota took advantage of their extensive family connections in Dakota villages since many of them had married Dakota women. Somehow the treaty received enough Dakota signatures to be ratified. Very little of the $500,000 saw it's way into Dakota hands. It went directly to traders instead to pay Dakota debts.


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Links:
www.nchsmn.org
www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/mnstatehistory/thedakotaco...
digital.library.okstate.edu/KAPPLER/Vol2/treaties/sio05...
www.mnhs.org/places/sites/tds/index.html