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The site of the U.S.Dakota War of 1862 will be recognized on the National Register of Historic Places following a strong push by the group trying to preserve the historic battlefield.
The Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association has been working with historians through a grant by the American Battlefield Protection Program in past years to determine the location of the site.
"It was never scientifically proven before," Tom Hosier, president of the Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association, said. "That grant gave us the funds to verify that is where the battlefield occurred."
The site, known as the Wood Lake Battlefield, is not actually by Wood Lake or the town with its namesake, Hosier said. The actual site is several miles east of the lake near the intersection County Road 18 and 600th Street in Yellow Medicine County.
During the association's fifth annual battlefield symposium Sept. 25 it was announced that, with the site's location proven, the battlefield would officially be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The total area of the battlefield covers land on approximately five to 10 farms in the area, Hosier said, but currently a monument sits on only one acre of the site. The goal with the new designation is to not just recognize the acre monument, but all the land that played a part in the decisive battle.
"That's what we're talking about with this national historic place," Hosier said. "It's listing the whole place, even though today you can only see a marker that marks part of the site."
The state of Minnesota erected the monument on the battlefield in 1910. It is located near the site where Col. Henry Sibley and his 1,619 troops camped.
The Dakota warriors, led by Chief Little Crow, numbered nearly 700 and had planned to ambush Sibley an his men. The attack was foiled when a group of U.S. soldiers wandered off from the camp and drew fire from the waiting Indians.
Losing the element of surprise, and being no match for the numbers and firepower of the soldiers, Little Crow called off the attack and returned to their base camp near present day Montevideo. The battle ended the Dakota resistance and broke apart the warriors led by Little Crow.
The Wood Lake Battlefield Association holds and easement to protect a 64-acre portion of the battlefield from being developed. Currently cropland and pastures occupy the acreage. Hosier said he hopes to expand trails beyond the monument site so visitors can better appreciate the battlefield.
"The next step would be to have a plan that would include conversation so we can go beyond where the monument is and help people appreciate the battle site," he said.
The Wood Lake Battlefield Association is receiving a second grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program that will be used for professional planning. The association has plans to add more interpretive trails and to restore part of the site to its native terrain.
"We would like to return prairie grass to the site much like it was in 1862," Hosier said.
The process to get the site added to the historic site was not without controversy. The majority of landowners were supportive of getting the site designated as a historic site, Hosier said, but some had apprehensions with the state involvement with the site.
Part of the apprehension by landowners was a worry that the state would take the land away once the designation was approved. Hosier stressed that the association does not represent the National Parks Service nor the State and has no intention to turn the land over to the state.
"That's not our plan and I don't know why that would occur," Hosier said. "We're trying to be sensitive of the land owners."
The association's long-term goal is develop more trails on the site and restore it so visitors can learn more about the battle and the history of the site.
The Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association has been working with historians through a grant by the American Battlefield Protection Program in past years to determine the location of the site.
"It was never scientifically proven before," Tom Hosier, president of the Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association, said. "That grant gave us the funds to verify that is where the battlefield occurred."
The site, known as the Wood Lake Battlefield, is not actually by Wood Lake or the town with its namesake, Hosier said. The actual site is several miles east of the lake near the intersection County Road 18 and 600th Street in Yellow Medicine County.
During the association's fifth annual battlefield symposium Sept. 25 it was announced that, with the site's location proven, the battlefield would officially be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The total area of the battlefield covers land on approximately five to 10 farms in the area, Hosier said, but currently a monument sits on only one acre of the site. The goal with the new designation is to not just recognize the acre monument, but all the land that played a part in the decisive battle.
"That's what we're talking about with this national historic place," Hosier said. "It's listing the whole place, even though today you can only see a marker that marks part of the site."
The state of Minnesota erected the monument on the battlefield in 1910. It is located near the site where Col. Henry Sibley and his 1,619 troops camped.
The Dakota warriors, led by Chief Little Crow, numbered nearly 700 and had planned to ambush Sibley an his men. The attack was foiled when a group of U.S. soldiers wandered off from the camp and drew fire from the waiting Indians.
Losing the element of surprise, and being no match for the numbers and firepower of the soldiers, Little Crow called off the attack and returned to their base camp near present day Montevideo. The battle ended the Dakota resistance and broke apart the warriors led by Little Crow.
The Wood Lake Battlefield Association holds and easement to protect a 64-acre portion of the battlefield from being developed. Currently cropland and pastures occupy the acreage. Hosier said he hopes to expand trails beyond the monument site so visitors can better appreciate the battlefield.
"The next step would be to have a plan that would include conversation so we can go beyond where the monument is and help people appreciate the battle site," he said.
The Wood Lake Battlefield Association is receiving a second grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program that will be used for professional planning. The association has plans to add more interpretive trails and to restore part of the site to its native terrain.
"We would like to return prairie grass to the site much like it was in 1862," Hosier said.
The process to get the site added to the historic site was not without controversy. The majority of landowners were supportive of getting the site designated as a historic site, Hosier said, but some had apprehensions with the state involvement with the site.
Part of the apprehension by landowners was a worry that the state would take the land away once the designation was approved. Hosier stressed that the association does not represent the National Parks Service nor the State and has no intention to turn the land over to the state.
"That's not our plan and I don't know why that would occur," Hosier said. "We're trying to be sensitive of the land owners."
The association's long-term goal is develop more trails on the site and restore it so visitors can learn more about the battle and the history of the site.
