The Spirit Lake Massacre by Thomas Teakle, 1878-1969 Published: 1918 The State Historical Society of Iowa J J J J J I I I I I Table of Contents Editor‘s Introduction Author‘s Preface & Chapter I … The Advancing Frontier. Chapter II … Indian Wrongs and Discontent. Chapter III … The Unprotected Frontier. Chapter IV … The Grindstone War and the Death of Sidominadota. Chapter V … The Frontier and the Winter of 1856- 1857. Chapter VI … Okoboji and Springfield in March 1857. Chapter VII … The Journey East for Supplies. Chapter VIII … The Inkpaduta Band. Chapter IX … Inkpaduta Seeks Revenge. Chapter X … The Smithland Incident. Chapter XI … From Smithland to Okoboji. Chapter XII … The First Day of the Massacre. Chapter XIII … The Second Day of the Massacre. Chapter XIV … From Okoboji to Heron Lake. Chapter XV … News of Massacre Reaches Springfield and Fort Ridgely. Chapter XVI … Relief Sent from Fort Ridgely. Chapter XVII … Preparations for Defense at Springfield. Chapter XVIII … Inkpaduta Attacks Springfield. Chapter XIX … The Settlers Flee from Springfield. Chapter XX … Relief Arrives from Fort Ridgely. Chapter XXI … Organization of Relief at Fort Dodge and Webster City. Chapter XXII … The March from Fort Dodge to Medium Lake. Chapter XXIII … From Medium Lake to Granger‘s Point. Chapter XXIV … The Burial Detail. Chapter XXV … Return of the Relief Expedition. Chapter XXVI … The Death of Mrs. Thatcher. Chapter XXVII … The Ransom of Mrs. Marble. Chapter XXVIII … The Death of Mrs. Noble and the Ransom of Abbie Gardner. Chapter XXIX … Pursuit and Punishment of Inkpaduta. Chapter XXX … The Memorial Tributes of Iowa. Chapter XXXI … Changes of Sixty Years. Index J J J J J I I I I I Editor‘s Introduction The massacre of the white settlers in the region of Lake Okoboji and Spirit Lake in 1857 by a band of Indians under the leadership of Inkpaduta has come to be known as „The Spirit Lake Massacre“, although the tragedy was for the most part enacted on the borders of Lake Okoboji. There seems, however, to be no substantial reason for renaming the episode in the interest of geographical accuracy; and so in this volume the familiar designation of „The Spirit Lake Massacre“ has been retained. Benj. F. Shambaugh Office of the Superintendent and Editor The State Historical Society of Iowa Iowa City Iowa Author‘s Preface It is probable that no event in the history of northwestern Iowa has aroused more popular interest than that of the Spirit Lake Massacre of March, 1857. Not alone in northwestern Iowa but also in the adjacent sections of Minnesota and South Dakota is the story of its events and associated incidents well known. The Spirit Lake Massacre came as the culminating episode in a long series of incidents intimately connected with the settlement of northern and western Iowa. For years previous to 1857 the Indians of the Siouan tribes had obstinately resisted white settlement and had succeeded in a marked degree in retarding the movement. It may be said with a reasonable degree of certainty that if the events of March, 1857, had not occurred the settlement of this region would have been postponed for some years: the Massacre not only aroused the authorities of the State of Iowa to the necessity of exerting the force of military pressure upon the Indians to discourage or end their forays, but it also enlisted the efforts of the Federal authorities in the same direction. This joint interest and protection could have only one result—the retirement of the Sioux to the region of the Missouri and the rapid influx of white settlers. The Massacre definitely settled the Indian question for Iowa: henceforth the red man ceased to play any important part in the history of this Commonwealth. While the following pages are, as far as practicable, based upon primary materials, the writer acknowledges his obligation to many other sources in the notes and references which follow the text. Since no adequate history of the Spirit Lake Massacre can be written wholly from primary materials, considerable reliance upon secondary sources has been found necessary in this work. Furthermore, the writer is well aware that he has taken a number of new positions concerning causes and incidents of the Massacre; but in this he feels well sustained by the preponderance of authority. Without the unflagging interest and the tireless enthusiasm and encouragement of Dr. Benj. F. Shambaugh the more than four years of research involved in this work would never have been undertaken or carried through to its close. To many others the author also feels himself obligated for invaluable assistance. Among these may be noted Curator E.R. Harlan, Librarian Alice Marple, Assistant Editor Ida M. Huntington, and Superintendent of Archives C.C. Stiles, all of the Historical Department of Iowa. Dr. Dan E. Clark, Associate Editor in The State Historical Society of Iowa, assisted in editing and verifying the manuscript; and to him the author is indebted for the index. Thomas Teakle The North High School Des Moines Iowa Chapter I The Advancing Frontier. Clothed in myth and legend and held in sacred awe by the Siouan Indian, Lake Okoboji and Spirit Lake had rested in seclusion for ages at the headwaters of the Little Sioux. To the red men these lakes had been a sort of Mecca, second only to the red pipestone quarry to the northwest, for the silent adoration and worship of the Spirit. (1-1) Although the region had been little disturbed by the whites the Sioux were becoming uneasy as the frontier continued its westward advance. By the middle of the nineteenth century the meeting and clashing of the two races became more frequent. This rivalry of the races was engendered by the white man‘s disregard of what the Indian held as sacred: it was embittered by the unstable policies of the government. Finally, in the early days of March, 1857, came one of those tragic events in the long series of misguided attempts to deal with the Indian and solve the problem of the frontier. In this terrible tragedy in the pioneer history of northwestern Iowa, the lives of more than forty white people were sacrificed. The Spirit Lake Massacre was the result of an Indian policy which has been characterized as „vacillating, full of inconsistencies and incongruities, of experiments and failures.“ (1-2) For the Sioux this policy had been the cause of frequent humiliation. It must be frankly admitted that in dealing with the Indian the whites too often lost sight of the fact that the red man was really a human being, seeking to have his person as well as his rights respected. To compel the respect which his proud spirit demanded, he frequently resorted to massacre. In fact, an Indian was open to insults and abuse from his fellow tribesmen until he had killed a foe. (1-3) To some extent the Indian appreciated his own inferiority, and he was expectantly on the alert to prevent being over-reached and deceived by the whites. Suspicious by nature, he became doubly so when his activities brought him into relation with another race. Unhappily he was not always wrong in his suspicions of the white man‘s deception, and many unpleasant border difficulties sprang from his attempts to match deception with deception. Physically superb, he too often had recourse to those physical means of redress that have marked the history of the frontier with tales of tragic revenge. (1-4) Accustomed to the matching of intellects, the whites frequently resorted to the stilted verbiage of treaties in their efforts to push the Indian farther toward the setting sun. In these treaties the red man found much cause for complaint—not so much in the strict wording of the documents themselves as in the management of affairs they induced. This too often exasperated and provoked the Indian. (1-5) To him the Iowa country was a paradise. Not only was it his home and hunting ground, but here centered much of the traditional lore of his tribe and race. Thus Iowa was doubly dear to him and worth his most determined effort to hold. As the wave of settlements advanced, the Indian was induced to sell—sometimes under circumstances provoking a strong suspicion of compulsion rather than voluntary agreement in the transfer. He felt instinctively that he had to retire, but in his racial pride he resented the necessity. He knew well the later traditions of his race, in the light of which he could foresee that in a very brief time force, which „comprises the elements of all Indian treaties,“ (1-6) would be used to drive him from his domain. As tract after tract was ceded, lands that the Indian did not want were given to him in exchange—lands devoid of good camping places and wanting in such game as was essential to his very existence. Moreover, the very lands the Indians prized most were the most sought for by the whites. The qualities causing them to be prized by the one made them desirable for the other. Thus the Indian‘s subsistence became so precarious that often he was on the verge of starvation. Coupled with this deprivation of favorite pleasure and hunting grounds was the white man‘s idealistic dream of civilizing the Indian by making him work at tilling the soil or at the various trades. This seemed to the haughty red man a real degradation. He could die fighting, if need be; but work he would not. His steadfast refusal to work or become civilized could only end in banishment from the lands he valued so highly.