#589 – Dick Bernard: The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862

Saturday we attended the opening of a major interpretative exhibit at the Minnesota History Museum about the War between the Dakota Indians and the United States of America.
This is a very well done exhibit, and very well worth ample time to both look and reflect.
The Minnesota History Center is easily accessible, on Kellogg Blvd, between the State Capitol and Cathedral in St. Paul.
All details are available here.
UPDATE:
from Bill Klein: Dick, thanks for the info re this exhibit. I plan to attend.
I had one of my special life experiences when as an 8 year old I attended the 75th Anniversary of this uprising in New Ulm in 1937.
After an reenactment at the New Ulm program I approached a very old Indian man and made the childish comment of how bad the Indians were only to hear this man who must have been in his 90s say to me “Little boy, you must remember there are 2 sides to every story!”
This lesson has stuck with me my entire life. Especially in my career at 3M in managing several large laboratories but also in many other areas of life.
As an adult I also have read about how our State government and white Indian agents in many cases behaved so badly towards these Indians. America’s treatment of people of color–Blacks, Indians and West Coast Japanese -Americans are shameful stains on our Country’s character.
Enough said.
UPDATE: July 10, 2012:
Dick Bernard: I saw this interesting commentary in the Twin Cities Daily Planet for July 9.
One of the first members, to Minnesota, of one of my French-Canadian ancestral families, was a private in Co G of the 1st Regiment of the Minnesota Mounted Rangers in Oct 6, 1862-Nov. 28, 1863. Samuel Collette arrived in St. Paul area from Quebec the year before statehood, 1857, and served a full year beginning when he was about 22. A family historian years ago gave me Samuel’s military documentation, but unfortunately all family records, including photographs, were later lost in a house fire.