The Dakota War of 1862 was the single most important event in Minnesota’s 154 year history.  In six tragic weeks more were killed than all of Minnesota’s Civil War deaths in combat and the western half of the state was depopulated. 
Civilian casualties, adjusted for population, were nearly seven times those of 9-11. Minnesota’s Dakota people were evicted from the state, leaving scars that remain to this day. Learn about the causes, visit the battlefields, and consider the legacy of the Dakota War in a colorful PowerPoint presentation by Stephen Osman.

Stephen Osman is a graduate of St. Olaf College who recently retired as senior historian with the Minnesota Historical Society. He managed Historic Fort Snelling for over three decades, and actively researches, speaks and writes about Minnesota’s role in the Civil War and the Dakota War. Osman served with the US Army Reserve in Psychological Operations at Fort Snelling, is an elected fellow of the Company of Military Historians, and currently serves on the boards of the Minnesota Military Museum, the Friends of Fort Snelling and the new scholarly journal, Minnesota’s Heritage.