Date of Award
5-2020
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Cultural Resources Management Archaeology: M.S.
Department
Anthropology
College
College of Liberal Arts
First Advisor
Robb Mann
Second Advisor
Mark Muñiz
Third Advisor
Thomas Steman
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
US-Dakota War of 1862; Sauk Centre Stockade
Abstract
The intent of this project was to explore the history of the U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre, Minnesota (Site # 21SN0198). The aim was to find out when it was built and why and to uncover any remaining physical evidence of the Post and the people who passed through it.
Archival research confirmed this fort and its soldiers were part of a thought-out War Department plan to keep the peace in central Minnesota during the American Civil War. This site and several others in the region were built and garrisoned with the intent of projecting United States power into the region.
Archaeological research confirmed the long-suspected site of the fort is correct, not that there was any real doubt. We now know how the stockade and the buildings it enclosed fit on the site. Using metal detectors, we located artifacts from the fort which helped us confirm the location of the stockade and associated structures. Conducting excavations of some of those structures we also found evidence of the fort’s people. We have an idea of the clothing they wore, of the dishes they used and of the food they ate. There is more work that could be done on this site and with the artifacts we collected.
Recommended Citation
Penrod, Michael, "Guarding the Northwest Frontier: The U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre Minnesota 1862-1865" (2020). Culminating Projects in Cultural Resource Management. 36.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/crm_etds/36
Comments/Acknowledgements
I did not set out to do this, complete the Masters in Cultural Resource Management Archaeology. I was just taking courses for fun. But Dr. Rob Mann presented me with an interesting research topic and Dr. Mark Muniz and Mr. Thomas Steman both encouraged me at different times to pursue what has always been an interest. I would particularly like to thank Dr. Rob Mann, my major advisor, who was very encouraging and supportive as I ventured into new areas and engaged in research activities with which I was unfamiliar. Without his support I would never have completed this project.
This publication was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Any views, findings, opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Historical Society, or the Minnesota Historic Resources Advisory Committee.