Dahcotah, Or Life and Legends of the Sioux
around Ft. Snelling
The materials for the following pages were
gathered during a residence of seven years
in the immediate neighborhood nay in the
very midst of the once powerful but now
nearly extinct tribe of
Sioux or
Dahcotah
Indians.
Fort Snelling is situated seven miles below the Falls
of St. Anthony, at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Peter's rivers
built in 1819, and named after the gallant Colonel Snelling, of the army, by
whom the work was erected. It is constructed of stone; is one of the strongest
Indian forts in the United States; and being placed on a commanding bluff, has
somewhat the appearance of an old German castle, or one of the strongholds on
the Rhine.
The then recent removal of the Winnebago was rendered
troublesome by the interference of Wabashaw, the Sioux chief, whose village is
on the Mississippi, 1800 miles from its mouth. The father of Wabashaw was a
noted Indian; and during the past summer, the son has given some indications
that he inherits the father's talents and courage. When the Winnebago arrived at Wabashaw's prairie, the chief induced them not to continue their journey of
removal; offered them land to settle upon near him, and told them it was not
really the wish of their Great Father, that they should remove. His bribes and
eloquence induced the Winnebago to refuse to proceed; although there was a
company of volunteer dragoons and infantry with them. This delay occasioning
much expense and trouble, the government agents applied for assistance to the
command at Fort Snelling. There was but one company there; and the commanding
officer, with twenty men and some friendly Sioux, went down to assist the agent.
WebMaster Note:
Dahocotah, Dahcotas, Dahkota, Dah-ko-tah=Dakota (Handbook of
American Indians North of Mexico, Hodge, Vol. II, p1050, 1910)
Notes About the Book:
Source: Dahcotah, Or Life and Legends of the
Sioux around Ft. Snelling, Mary H. Eastman,
1849
Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and
then ocr'd. Minimal editing has been done, and readers can and should expect
some errors in the textual output.
This site includes some historical materials that may imply negative
stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place.
These items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be
interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes
implied.
