Description:
Just before sunrise on Sept. 2, 1862, the sharp crack of a warning shot signaled the start of the Battle of Birch Coulee, one of the hardest fought battles of the U.S.-Dakota War. The Dakota kept U.S. soldiers under siege for 36 hours before a relief detachment arrived from Fort Ridgely.
Walk a self-guided trail through recreated prairie and read about the battle from the perspectives of Joseph Anderson, a captain in the U.S. Army, and Wamditanka (Big Eagle), a Mdewakanton soldier. Sketches from soldier Albert Colgrave provide vivid battle details. Guide posts help pinpoint where the U.S. soldiers were camped and the positions the Dakota took while surrounding the U.S. soldiers. Learn more about the U.S.-Dakota War at the nearby Fort Ridgely Historic Site or walk on the trails at the Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site.
Highlights Include:
- Site of an 1862 U.S. -Dakota War battle
- Self-guided prairie trail
- Markers with accounts of the battle by an Army captain & a Mdewakanton (Dakota) soldier
- Sketches of battle scenes drawn by a soldier
- Guideposts pinpointing U.S. & Dakota positions