Guarding the Northwest Frontier: the U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre Minnesota 1862-1865
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St. Cloud State University theRepository at St. Cloud State Culminating Projects in Cultural Resource Management Department of Anthropology 5-2020 Guarding the Northwest Frontier: The U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre Minnesota 1862-1865 Michael Penrod Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/crm_etds Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Penrod, Michael, "Guarding the Northwest Frontier: The U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre Minnesota 1862-1865" (2020). Culminating Projects in Cultural Resource Management. 36. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/crm_etds/36 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Anthropology at theRepository at St. Cloud State. It has been accepted for inclusion in Culminating Projects in Cultural Resource Management by an authorized administrator of theRepository at St. Cloud State. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Guarding the Northwest Frontier: The U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre Minnesota 1862-1865 by Michael Penrod A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of St. Cloud State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Cultural Resources Management Archaeology May, 2020 Thesis Committee: Rob Mann, Chairperson Mark Muñiz Thomas Steman 2 Abstract The intent of this project was to explore the history of the U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota (Site # 21SN0198). The aim was to find out when it was built and why and to uncover any remaining physical evidence of the Post and the people who passed through it. Archival research confirmed this fort and its soldiers were part of a thought-out War Department plan to keep the peace in central Minnesota during the American Civil War. This site and several others in the region were built and garrisoned with the intent of projecting United States power into the region. Archaeological research confirmed the long-suspected site of the fort is correct, not that there was any real doubt. We now know how the stockade and the buildings it enclosed fit on the site. Using metal detectors, we located artifacts from the fort which helped us confirm the location of the stockade and associated structures. Conducting excavations of some of those structures we also found evidence of the fort’s people. We have an idea of the clothing they wore, of the dishes they used and of the food they ate. There is more work that could be done on this site and with the artifacts we collected. 3 Acknowledgement I did not set out to do this, complete the Masters in Cultural Resource Management Archaeology. I was just taking courses for fun. But Dr. Rob Mann presented me with an interesting research topic and Dr. Mark Muniz and Mr. Thomas Steman both encouraged me at different times to pursue what has always been an interest. I would particularly like to thank Dr. Rob Mann, my major advisor, who was very encouraging and supportive as I ventured into new areas and engaged in research activities with which I was unfamiliar. Without his support I would never have completed this project. This publication was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Any views, findings, opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Historical Society, or the Minnesota Historic Resources Advisory Committee. 4 Table of Contents Page List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ 6 List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter I. Project Rationale ....................................................................................................... 10 II. The U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre ...................................................................... 22 III. Research Questions ................................................................................................... 34 IV. Research Methodology and Literature Review ......................................................... 36 V. Cultural History ........................................................................................................ 55 The Minnesota Country ...................................................................................... 55 The US-Dakota War of 1862 .............................................................................. 60 The Civil War ..................................................................................................... 66 VI. Thinking About the Forts and What They Represent ............................................... 73 VII. Site Investigation ...................................................................................................... 81 Metal Detector Survey of the Barn Area ............................................................ 84 Results of the Metal Detector Survey of the Barn Area ..................................... 89 Metal Detector Survey of the Officers; Quarters Area ....................................... 102 Results of the Metal Detector Survey o the Officers’ Quarters Area ................. 104 Analysis of Square Nails Recovered in the Site Metal Detector Surveys .......... 117 Additional Comments about the Metal Detector Survey .................................... 122 Shovel Test Pits ................................................................................................... 123 Units .................................................................................................................... 127 5 Chapter Page Stratigraphy ......................................................................................................... 148 VIII. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 150 References Cited ................................................................................................................... 165 6 List of Tables Table Page 1. Metal Detector Survey VLF Positive Target Hist dug I the barn area. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota .......................................................................... 101 2. Metal Detector Survey PI Positive Target Hits dug in the barn area. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota .......................................................................... 102 3. Metal Detector Survey VLF Positive Target Hits dug in the Officers’ Quarters Area. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota .......................................... 105 4. Metal Detector Survey PI Positive Target Hits dug in the Officers’ Quarters Area. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota .......................................... 106 5. Square Nails Collected During Metal Detector Surveys. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ...................................................................................... 118 6. Unit 1 Artifacts Recovered During Excavation of the Original North Stockade Wall. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ........................... 129 7.1 Unit 3, Level 1, and Level 2; Artifacts Recovered During Excavation of the Original North Stockade Wall. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ............................................................................................................ 133 7.2 Unit 3, Level 4 and Level 5; Artifacts Recovered During Excavation of the Original North Stockade Wall. US. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ............................................................................................................ 134 8. Unit 2, all Levels. Artifacts Recovered During Excavation of the Officers’ Quarters. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota .................................... 142 7 Table Page 9. Unit 4, all Levels; Artifacts Recovered During Excavation of the Officers’ Quarters. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ..................................... 143 8 List of Figures Figure Page 1. Memorial at the U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ............................... 11 2. Map showing the line of forts build in 1862-1863 between Sioux City, Iowa, and Fort Abercrombie Dakota Territory to separate the Dakota and the White Settlements ...................................................................... 15 3. Army Plan Drawing of the Federal Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Spring 1863 ......................................................................................................... 17 4. Sketch of U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Fall 1862 ......................... 20 5. Veeder Memory Map of the U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota ............ 29 6. Extract from 1896 Plat Map of Sauk Centre showing 7th and Biorch streets, the location of the U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre and the adjoining area ...................................................................................................................... 46 7. Google Earth overlay of Sauk Centre Military Post site ........................................... 83 8. U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre Site Map showing metal detector positive Target Hits, Shovel Test Pits