Legends of the Old West - DAKOTA WAR Ep. 1 | “Acton Massacre”

Episode Date: January 15, 2025

On August 17, 1862, four young Dakota men kill five white settlers near the village of Acton Township, Minnesota. The act of violence seems spontaneous, but it is fueled by desperation that had been building for years. That night, the leaders of villages in southwestern Minnesota gather for a heated council meeting. At dawn the next day, bands of the Dakota go to war against the settlers and the U.S. army.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join   Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial.   On YouTube, subscribe to LEGENDS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage.   For more details, visit our website www.blackbarrelmedia.com and check out our social media pages. We’re @OldWestPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 17, 1862, the summer sun blazed in a cloudless sky over Acton Township, Minnesota, a village about 70 miles west of Minneapolis. A group of four young Dakota warriors moved cautiously through the brush near a settler's homestead. They were fueled by anger, hunger, and desperation, and they no longer heeded the warnings of their elders who had counseled restraint. Broken promises by the U.S. government had been stacking up for years. And now, America was deep into its second year of civil war. For the Dakota, the war in the East meant their needs were forgotten.

Through a series of treaties, the American government had promised to provide food and other supplies to the Dakota in exchange for the Dakota giving up their land. The supplies had been withheld as the government funneled its resources into the war effort. The treaties had been disregarded as Abraham Lincoln and the Union fought to hold itself together. Dakota families starved while supplies were hoarded by corrupt traders or rotted in warehouses that were unreachable due to the chaos of the Civil War. That day in mid-August, a young warrior named Brown Wing and his three friends went in search of food. The Dakota had gathered at the Lower Sioux Agency, one of two small reservations along

the Minnesota River, earlier that day, and demanded the food they were owed. They were met with cold indifference and empty assurances. Now, Brownwing and his companions drifted from the camp, restless and angry. Their path was uncertain and driven more by desperation than any clear purpose. Many miles north of the Lower Sioux Agency, near the village of Acton Township,

they stumbled upon a hens nest in the tall grass and began to argue over the few eggs in the nest. The argument escalated quickly. One of the men called another a coward. The second man said he would prove he was not a coward by killing the white settler who owned the property. A short time later, five white settlers were dead, and the four young warriors were rushing back to their village.

They told the leader of the village about the killings. He sent runners to inform the leaders of other villages. That night, there was an emergency council meeting to discuss the situation. An argument over a few eggs, which had been fueled by desperation, hunger, and anger, had led to five killings. Now, villages in southwest Minnesota were faced with the prospect of war. If they went on the offensive, there would be no going back. They had one night to make their decision.

At dawn, it would be punishment for the killings or open warfare across the prairie. From Black Barrel Media, this is Legends of the Old West. I'm your host, Chris Wimmer, and this season we're telling the story of the Dakota War of the early 1860s. It follows the largely untold tale of Dakota leader Little Crow, an historic judgment against Dakota warriors, and then Sitting Bull's first major confrontation with the U.S. Army. This is Episode 1, Acton Massacre. Before the arrival of European settlers, the Dakota people thrived in what is now Minnesota, a land of expansive prairies, dense forests, and countless lakes and rivers.

The Dakota were one of three tribal groups of the Sioux Nation, which also included the well-known Lakota and the lesser-known Nakota to the west. They all spoke closely related languages, and the Dakota way of life was shaped by the land, which provided food, shelter, and a foundation for their spiritual practices. The Dakota homeland stretched from the edge of the Great Plains in the west to the deep woodlands of the east, encompassing the valleys of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. They hunted bison on the prairies, fished in the lakes, and gathered wild rice in the marshlands.

Every aspect of their lives was influenced by the environment. The Dakota used the land and its resources to sustain their communities, but they did not view the land as something that could be owned. They believed it was something to be shared among their people. Before European contact, the Dakota lived largely undisturbed, moving with the seasons and maintaining a sustainable way of life. But the balance began to shift with the arrival of European traders and explorers in the 1600s. Initially, the relationship was mutually beneficial.

The fur trade brought new goods and opportunities, and the Dakota became an essential part of trading networks that spanned the continent. They traded beaver pelts and other furs for metal tools, firearms, and cloth, integrating the new items into their daily lives while maintaining their old cultural identity. But as the years went on and the presence of Europeans grew, the

dynamics began to change. The land that the Dakota had stewarded for generations was suddenly viewed as a commodity to be claimed and a resource to be exploited. Treaties began with the expanding American nation almost immediately after the Lewis and Clark expedition. Little by little, the Dakota were convinced to give up their land in return for a variety of things that were promised but very rarely delivered. American settlers trickled across the continent in the wake of the mountain men in the 1820s and 30s.

Then the settlers flooded across the continent in the early 1850s as the news of gold in California broke far and wide. The increasing demand for land by American settlers led to growing tensions. The Dakota were pressured to give up more and more of their territory. The promises made in return, food, supplies, and support, were often delayed or denied. By the mid-1850s, the Dakota were being forced onto reservations. The Dakotas' connection to their land, once a source of pride and sustenance, was becoming a source of frustration and anger. The treaties between the Dakota and the U.S. government were initially presented as a way to establish coexistence and peace, but they ultimately led to the loss of Dakota lands and their forced relocation to reservations.

The Treaty of Traverse-de-Sault in July 1851 required the Dakota to cede millions of acres of land in exchange for yearly payments and the establishment of two agencies along the Minnesota River, the Upper Sioux Agency and the Lower Sioux Agency. The U.S. government promised to provide the Dakota with food, supplies, and a means to transition to agricultural life. But as all the tribes in the West would eventually learn, the treaty negotiations were fraught with manipulation and deceit. Dakota leaders signed the treaty without fully understanding it, and often under duress or

with the belief that they had no other choice. Then, corruption among government officials and traders meant that many of the supplies never reached the Dakota. The Dakota became increasingly desperate, and one chief, Chief Wabasha, voiced deep skepticism about the treaties. He feared the U.S. government would ultimately take all the Dakota land, regardless of promises. He grimly remarked, There is one thing more which our great father can do, that is, gather us all together on the prairie and surround us with soldiers and shoot us down.

The situation worsened as more settlers moved into the region, encouraged by the government's promises of fertile land. In the Minnesota River Valley, settlers moved into the region, encouraged by the government's promises of fertile land. In the Minnesota River Valley, the sounds of saws cutting through ancient forests and hammers building new homes echoed the promises of American expansion. For the settlers, it was a place to start fresh and to carve out a future from the wilderness. For the Dakota, it was a site of dismay as they watched their world transform beyond recognition. Over-hunting and deforestation threw the ecosystem out of balance. For decades,

the Dakota had trapped beavers, muskrat, and other animals and traded pelts for goods with European settlers and fur traders. Now, animals were scarce, and the Dakota found it harder and harder to collect enough furs to pay off their mounting debts to the traders. And it wasn't just a financial problem. It struck at the heart of their way of life. In Dakota society, generosity and reciprocity were sacred values. Resources were shared freely, and the idea of hoarding wealth was seen as deeply immoral. But the traders operated on a system of debt and ownership. The traders who controlled the food and other supplies at the agencies kept detailed records of what the Dakota owed them in goods, and as the first supply dwindled, the debts grew. To the Dakota, the idea of being in debt for necessities like food made little sense.

In their eyes, if someone was desperate and needed food, you gave it to them no matter what. The traders grew increasingly frustrated with the Dakota's inability to repay what they owed. To them, it was simple business. If the Dakota couldn't provide enough furs, they had to find another way to compensate the traders, whether it was through labor, land, or more trapping. The tension reached a breaking point in the summer of 1862. The Dakota were trapped by a system they didn't understand and couldn't escape. The broken promises of the U.S. government and the corrupt practices of Indian agents created a situation where starvation became a daily reality for the Dakota. By the early 1860s, the annuity payments were often delayed or entirely withheld, as funds

were diverted to support the Union's effort in the Civil War. Supplies that did arrive were inadequate, and many Dakota families faced severe hunger. And in those already dire conditions, the traders held firm. At the Lower Sioux Agency, there were four trading stores where the Dakota could get food. The stores were fully stocked, but the traders who controlled the food refused to release it without payment.

Andrew Merrick, a particularly infamous trader, became the focal point of the Dakota's anger. When a group of Dakota who were desperate for food asked him for credit, he reportedly sneered, If they are hungry, let them eat grass or their own dung. The statement spread like wildfire and deepened the Dakota's resentment toward the settlers and traders. The Dakota were pushed to their limits, and they began to feel like they had no choice but to take what they needed by force. In the summer of 1862, as the weather warmed, so did the talk of strong action. As always, the talk started with the young warriors. There were four major bands of the Dakota people, and their leaders started to gather in councils

to discuss the situation. Each band had its own territory, but kinship ties and a shared language connected everyone. Elders held significant influence, but decisions were made collectively, often in councils where the chiefs spoke on behalf of their people. Chiefs were not autocratic rulers. They were respected for their wisdom, generosity, and ability to lead by example, but they could not make unilateral decisions that affected everyone. As the people gathered, they began to look to one chief in particular for guidance. His name was Little Crow, and he had faced crisis before, but nothing on the scale of

what he saw now. Little Crow's journey to becoming the leader of the Dakota people was marked by personal conflict, both within his family and within himself. Little Crow was not the natural successor to his father's role as chief of one of the four bands of the Dakota people. He was not the eldest son, and his older brothers had every reason to believe that one of them would inherit the leadership. When their father died in 1846, after accidentally shooting himself, the family power struggle turned violent.

Little Crow returned to his village after a long absence. He was ready to claim his father's position, but his two half-brothers did not accept his authority. In a fierce argument, they attacked him and shot him in both wrists. Despite his injuries, which left his hands permanently disfigured, Little Crow refused to back down. In Dakota culture, a leader was expected to be physically strong and able to provide for his people, and many believed Little Crow's injuries should have disqualified him from becoming chief.

The surgeon at Fort Snelling advised amputation, but Little Crow refused. He would rather die than be seen as weak or unworthy of his role. To the surprise of many, he not only survived, but took his place as chief with the full support of the band, after his two brothers had been killed in retribution for their attack. Little Crow's resilience in the face of such physical and emotional adversity cemented his role as leader, and in the summer of 1862,

he faced a crisis that would test him far more deeply than any family conflict. test him far more deeply than any family conflict. The Dakota were starving, and their leaders watched helplessly as the people grew more desperate by the day. Little Crow's people looked to him for guidance, but the choices before him were agonizingly difficult. The Dakota had fought the U.S. Army before, but never with the kind of overwhelming force that the Army now had in its ranks which had swelled with the Civil War. Little Crow knew the power of the federal government.

To go to war was to invite devastation on his people. Yet to do nothing meant continued starvation, humiliation, and the slow death of a once-proud people. As Little Crow weighed his options, he spoke with other Dakota leaders, many of whom were as conflicted as he was. Some believed that war was the only way to reclaim their dignity and their land. Others were reluctant to provoke the wrath of the U.S. government, fearing the consequences of such an action would be catastrophic.

During a council meeting in August 1862, Little Crow's leadership and wisdom were put to the test. Younger warriors, driven by frustration and anger, called for immediate action. They could no longer watch their families starve while food sat locked in the traders' warehouses. We must fight, they urged. Little Crow counseled patience, caution, and reflection. But his warning fell on deaf ears as emotions ran high.

One of the young men famously taunted him, saying, You are a coward. You are not the man your fathers were. You are afraid of the whites. The insult cut deep. Little Crow was a seasoned warrior who wore a headdress that was adorned with eagle feathers that represented acts of bravery in battle. But he had always tried to balance his warrior spirit with the responsibilities of leadership.

He understood the costs of war, and he did not want to see his people suffer any more than they already had. But the taunts from the young warriors hit at a central aspect of Dakota culture. The expectation was that leaders be both wise and brave. They had to be unafraid to lead their people in battle if necessary. In response, Little Crow stood up and addressed the group. He knew that war could only end in one of two ways, with Dakota victory, which seemed impossible, or with their destruction.

You will die like rabbits when the hungry wolves hunt you down in the night, he warned. He tried to make them see the impossibility of their situation. The settlers had taken their land, but the settlers had the government's support, and the soldiers would come in overwhelming force if the Dakota revolted. On August 17, 1862, the final blow came not from a grand plan of war, but from an impulsive act of violence. On a warm Sunday morning, August 17, 1862, four Dakota warriors, brown-winged, breaking up, killing ghosts, and runs against something when crawling, stalked the quiet trails of Acton Township in Meeker County.

Their hunting trip in the heavily forested area called the Big Woods had been unproductive. But as they passed a fence near the property of Robinson Jones, they spotted a hen's nest in the grass. The fragile white eggs shining in the morning light became the spark for what would become one of the most devastating days in Minnesota's history. One of the men reached for the eggs, but his companion hesitated. Don't take them, he warned. They belong to a white man.

If he finds out, we could be in trouble. The words hit a nerve. Brown Wing's frustration erupted into anger. He smashed the eggs on the ground and called the other warrior a coward. That insult could not be ignored. To prove his bravery, the warrior declared he would shoot the white man who owned the property.

The four men approached the homestead of Robinson Jones. Jones and his wife ran a modest general store and post office, a central point of connection for the few settlers in the area. Inside the house, Clara Wilson, the Jones' 15-year-old adopted daughter, was caring for her 18-year-old adopted daughter, was caring for her 18-month-old brother. When the Dakota warriors arrived, they demanded liquor. Jones refused and stepped out of the house, leaving his two children behind.

He moved quickly toward the Baker homestead next door, where his son-in-law Howard Baker lived with his family and the Dakota followed. The Baker Homestead was a gathering place that morning. On the porch sat two men, Howard Baker and Virenus Webster. Soon Mrs. Jones joined them. Webster, who was new to the area, had been seeking advice about settling the land. When Robinson Jones approached with the Dakota, the warriors suggested a shooting contest, a friendly challenge that masked their growing resolve. Marksmanship contests were common on the frontier, a way for settlers and visitors to pass the time.

A tree stump was chosen, and the settlers took their turns firing at it. Robinson Jones, known for his skill with a rifle, participated with confidence. The Dakota warriors followed, each man firing in turn. When Jones emptied his rifle after the final shot, the tone shifted. The Dakota raised their weapons. Without warning, they turned on the settlers. Robinson Jones was the first to fall, struck down by the warrior who had vowed to prove his bravery. Howard Baker and Viernes Webster were shot next. Mrs. Jones tried to run, but

she was shot as she reached the edge of the porch. Inside the Baker home, Mrs. Baker clutched her young son in terror. Webster's wife, seated in the covered wagon outside, froze in place. Neither woman moved as the gunfire ceased. With four people dead in a matter of seconds, the Dakota began their retreat. As they approached the Joneses' homestead again,

15-year-old Clara Wilson stepped outside, probably drawn by the sound of gunfire. She didn't have time to process what she saw. A single shot rang out, and Clara fell dead in the dirt. At the Baker house, Mrs. Baker managed to slip out of the house with her son. She crossed the open yard and hid in the tall grass of a nearby marsh. Mrs. Webster also found a hiding place, and she watched as the Dakota fled the area. The four warriors galloped back to their camp near Rice Creek. They told their story to Shacopee

and Red Middle Voice, the leaders of their villages. The response was swift. The leaders knew they had to take the news of their villages. The response was swift. The leaders knew they had to take the news to Little Crow. For settlers in the area of Acton Township, the attack was a horrifying omen. Word spread quickly to nearby towns, and panic took hold. A hastily formed group of men from Forest City arrived at the Jones' homestead that night. They found Clara's lifeless body and the Jones' infant son, alive but hungry.

The settlers buried the dead the following day in a single grave, marking the site of what would soon be called the Acton Massacre. In the Dakota village near Rice Creek, elders listened intently as the four young warriors told their story. The village was thrown into crisis. These were no small skirmishes or misunderstandings. The murder of settlers, especially a woman and a teenage girl, was a transgression that could not be undone.

The Dakota knew from bitter experience that the U.S. government would respond swiftly and with overwhelming force. The community faced an impossible decision. For years, they had endured broken promises, starvation, and the indignities of being stripped of their ancestral lands. The settlers' constant expansion into Dakota territory, coupled with the government's failure to deliver annuity payments, had brought the people to the brink. Now, the actions of the four young men had forced the issue to the forefront. War felt inevitable. But was it survivable? Red Middle Voice and Shakopee knew the gravity of the situation. They resolved to take the

news to Little Crow, the most prominent leader among the Dakota. Little Crow had spent years trying to mediate between the Dakota and the U.S. government. Though his efforts had often been dismissed, his experience and influence made him a natural figure to determine their course of action. Runners were sent to neighboring bands,

summoning other leaders to join them at Little Crow's home near the Lower Sioux Agency. Darkness fell as Red Middle Voice and Shakopee made their way down the Minnesota River. When they arrived, Little Crow was resting after an early morning hunt. The news of the act in killings jolted him awake. He sat in silence and absorbed the gravity of the news. The emergency council convened late that night. Leaders from nearby bands arrived, and they began discussions in hushed, urgent tones. Some of the elders argued for restraint, suggesting

they could offer up the four killers to the U.S. authorities. They hoped the gesture might placate the settlers and avert widespread retaliation. But others dismissed the idea. �The government has betrayed us time and time again,� one younger warrior declared. �Turning over our people will not stop their hunger for our land. It will only show our weakness.� Tensions mounted as voices grew louder. The younger warriors called for action, pointing out the injustices that had driven their people to the brink of despair. For them, the killings at Acton were a spark that should ignite a fire. We have nothing left to lose, another argued. If we do not fight now, we will die slowly, one by one."

Little Crow listened as the arguments raged around him. He had always been a pragmatic leader, one who sought to balance resistance with survival. He had signed treaties with the U.S. government, hoping to secure a future for his people, only to see those agreements violated. He had visited Washington, D.C. and had seen the power of the settlers firsthand. He knew the strength of the forces they could bring against the Dakota. He understood that war would almost certainly lead to destruction. As the voices in the council reached a crescendo, Red Middle Voice turned his frustration on Little

Crow and said, Little Crow is afraid of the white man. Little Crow is a coward. Little Crow rose. According to his son, who was there that day, he told the council, Little Crow is not a coward. When did he run away from his enemies? When did he leave his Braves behind him? Braves, you are like little children.

You know not what you are doing. You are full of the white man's devil water, and you act like mad dogs snapping at shadows." He paused, and his gaze swept across the gathered leaders. "'You may kill one, two, ten of the whites,' he continued, "'but ten times ten will come to kill you. You cannot count their numbers nor match their power. But Little Crow is not a coward. He will die with you." With those words, Little Crow reluctantly agreed to lead his people to war. The decision was made, not with the hope of a successful campaign, but with the bitter

understanding that there was no other choice. Preparations started immediately. Big Eagle, a prominent leader, remembered, parties formed and dashed away in the darkness to kill the settlers. The women began to run bullets and the men to clean their guns. At dawn the next morning, August 18, 1862, the Dakota would strike the Lower Sioux Agency. Their first targets would be traitors like Andrew Merrick, who hoarded the food while the people starved.

For the next two weeks, hundreds of warriors would sweep across the frontier with unchecked aggression. The Dakota War of 1862 was about to begin. Next time on Legends of the Old West, no one at the Lower Sioux Agency is prepared for the surprise attack. The assault is devastating and total, and then the warriors move on to attack towns and the soldiers of nearby Fort Ridgely.

That's next week on Legends of the Old West. Members of our Black Barrel Plus program don't have to wait week to week to receive new episodes. They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials. And they also receive exclusive bonus episodes. Sign up now through the link in the show notes or on our website blackbarrelmedia.com. Memberships are just five dollars per month. This series was researched and written by Matthew Kearns. Original music by Rob Valier. I'm your host and producer, Chris Wimmer. Thanks for listening.