This letter, dated August 26, 1862, describes the fighting between settlers and Dakota men who participated in a conflict in a southern Minnesota community, most likely in New Ulm. Wheelock also describes his experiences as a member of a burial party that ventured out into the surrounding countryside. Many dead settlers were found, as well as a group of thirteen settlers who had been hiding for three days. Wheelock states his intention to leave Minnesota if the fighting does not stop soon and if he is not able to feel that he is safe in his home.
This large ledger appears to have served as a record of the business printing work that was done by the St. Peter Tribune newspaper. The Tribune was published from 1860 until 1920. Most of the material in this ledger was printed during the 1870s. Business cards, letterheads from business foms, tickets to various social functions and announcements for them, and standardized forms for use in courthouses, schools, and the St. Peter State Hospital can all be found in the ledger. Most of the material concerns Nicollet County, but other counties are also represented. Among them are Brown County, Le Sueur County, and Renville County. Available records indicate that the ledger became the property of the St. Peter Herald newspaper sometime after the Tribune ceased publication. Eventually, the ledger was donated to the Nicollet County Historical Society.
The community of St. Peter was initially, and for a very brief time, known as Rock Bend, a name taken because of the presence of a sharp bend in the course of the Minnesota River on the east side of the settlement. The name was used probably from late in 1853 until sometime in 1854. The envelope shown here, addressed to Charles E. Flandrau (1828-1903), who was living in the area at the time, is one of only a few objects that survived with the name "Rock Bend" on it. Flandrau, himself, became a very prominent resident of the State of Minnesota. Among many other duties during his lifetime, he commanded the defenders of New Ulm in August of 1862 and later served on the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Operators at the New Sweden Telephone Exchange used this switchboard while they served their customers. The exchange was located in New Sweden, Minnesota.
This map shows the village of Traverse des Sioux along the Minnesota River. The village was named after the Traverse des Sioux, which was the French name for the crossing site of the river by the Dakota people who lived in the vicintiy.
This map shows Hodapp's Addition to the community of North Mankato. Wendell Hodapp was the community's first president, who had purchased 160 acres of land in 1878 that included a significant portion of the future city.