A Haunted Past and Haunting Presence: The Archaeology of Civilian and Military Forts Built during the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862
 

Although relatively unknown outside of the state, the impacts of the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 are far-reaching and ongoing in many Minnesota communities. Prior to the 1850s the kin-ordered social relations of the fur trade era governed the interaction between most Euro-Americans and Native peoples in Minnesota. Many early white immigrants arrived in Minnesota believing they would seamlessly integrate into this kin-ordered world. However, the relentless land grabbing of settler colonialism actually led to the hardening of racial categories and the disintegration of peaceful relations between Natives and newcomers. By August 1862 long-simmering tensions between the Dakota and Euro-Americans boiled over into open warfare. For nearly two months militant Dakota waged war against Euro-American settlements and military installations. In response, settlers across Minnesota either fled the war zone or attempted to fortify their settlements. The U.S. military responded by constructing a number of fortifications. Although remembered and commemorated in local and state historical narratives, both the so-called "settlers’ forts" and military installations of the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 are today a largely unexplored and haunting part of Minnesota’s archaeological heritage.