Politics | Page 93

Minnesota State Boundaries

Minnesota's boundaries were established by treaties between the U.S. and Great Britain and the formation of the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Winneshiek II, Ho-Chunk resistance leader

Ho-Chunk leader, Winneshiek II, likely at Fort Snelling, 1863. Winnesheik II led Ho-Chunk resistance against the treaty of 1859. His band was the last to submit to removal from Minnesota.

Black and white photograph of Andre Balcombe, 1858.

St. Andre Durand Balcombe of Winona, Ho-Chunk Indian Agent

Andre Balcombe, 1858. Balcombe served as the Ho-Chunk's Indian agent during their last years at Blue Earth. He was accused of corruption and evidence suggests he took the job for monetary gain.

Baptiste Lasallier, Ho-Chunk leader

Black and white photograph of the Ho-Chunk leader Baptiste Lasallier wearing a mix of American Indian and Euro-American clothing, c.1855. After the treaty of 1859 the U.S. government recognized Lasallier as the "head chief" of the Ho-Chunk at Blue Earth.

Baptiste Lasallier, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) leader, with Charles H. Mix, Indian agent, and an Indian supply merchant from New York

Black and white photo print of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) leader Baptiste Lasallier (center) with Indian Agent Charles H. Mix (right) and an Indian supply merchant from New York (left), 1857.

Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Indian Agency on the Owatonna Road near Mankato

Black-and-white photo print of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Indian Agency, c.1860.

Ho-Chunk and Blue Earth, 1855–1863

In 1855, a federal treaty moved the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) people from their reservation near Long Prairie to a site along the Blue Earth River. The Ho-Chunk farmed the area's rich soil with some success but drew the hostility of settler-colonist neighbors who wanted the land for themselves. Though they did not participate in the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862, they were exiled from Minnesota during the conflict's aftermath.