PIKE ISLAND 300 Native Americans died on this spot an all they got to show for it was this crummy plaque
Where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet is Ft. Snelling, now a state park in Minnesota. The land that Ft. Snelling was built on was purchased from the Dakota Indians by intrepid explorer Zebulon Pike of "Pikes Peak" fame. The land includes a small island known as "Pike Island." While negotiating with the Dakotas for a place to build Ft Snelling, Pike estimated the value of the land at $200,000. Congress paid the Dakota tribe $2,000. After the Dakota Indian uprising Pike Island became essentially a concentration camp for Indian women, children and old men. Over 600 Dakota Indians died on this tiny space. Indians on Pike Island were relocated several move times and eventually ended up in Nebraska. Today, Pike Island is a very pleasant place to spend a Saturday afternoon. We spent time on a nice walk around the island. Couples with small children in strollers pushed their children around the comfortable walking path occasionally stopping to take picture...