My fiancé John Legg and I recently discovered the joy of taking spontaneous weekend trips.1 In mid-January, we hit the road to Minneapolis, Minnesota for a short research retreat. Since we are both historians of the Northern Plains and Indigenous history, we took the opportunity to spend the day at the Minnesota History Center and Gale Family Library of the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), and they did not disappoint.
An inscribed wall near the entrance of the Minnesota Historical Society. All photos provided by the author.
This was the first research trip I had taken since completing my Ph.D. in August 2022 and I am starting the process of transforming my dissertation into a book. My work examines Reconstruction in the West through the politics and policies of territorial expansion. I am especially interested in the experiences of Native communities and centering Indigenous sovereignty within the history of Reconstruction. Montana territory is the primary site of my study, and I had hoped to find pieces of it in the documentary records of Gale Family Library.
Of all the Minnesota-themed features of the museum, I especially enjoyed this “Greetings from Minnesota” sign in the staircase of the History Center.
The first source I requested from the library’s rare book collection was titled, “Letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting the report of J.W. Barlow, who accompanied a surveying party of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in relation to Indian interference with that road” from 1873. During the 1870s and 1880s, Native communities throughout Montana regularly took action against private railroad companies that tried to conduct surveys or started construction on their lands, using their timber, gravel, water, and other resources. This record is one of many examples documenting a rich history of how Native nations mediated conflict against private corporations as well as the federal government, advocating for the livelihood of their kin and the protection of their communities. This source was a great find, and I look forward to incorporating it as I revise my work.
My fiancé John snapped this archival action shot as I browsed the “Letter from the Secretary of War” mentioned above. It was a delicate book, so I had to review it at the “special use” table.
After reviewing this letter, I read through several more rare books related to Montana Territory and the region’s Indigenous communities. Because my work centers on Reconstruction in the West, I often have to piece together the narrative from fragments of records to understand how historical actors defined their relationships with one another, with business and politics in the territory, and with the federal government. Other records included: “Montana: the people of Eastern Idaho as affected by House Bill no. 15,” which relates to the founding of the territory, and “Papers relating to the talks and councils held with Indians in Dakota and Montana Territories in the years 1866-1869.” As with much of my research, these sources required careful reading to illuminate the nuances of social, political, and economic life in the Reconstruction West.
After the day at the archive, John and I explored the rest of the History Center. We had a wonderful time checking out the featured exhibit on Sherlock Holmes and learned that the University of Minnesota houses the largest collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle items in the world.2 We also enjoyed the “Our Home: Native Minnesota” exhibit, which curated material culture, oral history videos, and other immersive elements to tell the history of the Dakota, Ojibwe, and other Indigenous communities of Minnesota. I was especially impressed by the primacy of Dakota and Ojibwe languages to describe exhibit panels and objects, followed by English translations.
Glass entryway of Owamni. In the background there is a neon “You are on Native land” sign.
We ended our day in Minneapolis with dinner at Owamni, a modern Indigenous restaurant founded by world-renowned “The Sioux Chef” Sean Sherman back in 2021. Their menu features ingredients sourced from Indigenous food producers and practices a decolonized approach, avoiding ingredients like dairy and wheat flour that do not originate from North America. Meals come as shareable small plates, and we selected a good sampling of dishes: the blue corn mush, roasted sweet potatoes, bison stew, and bison strip loin. Everything was so fresh and delicious, and we had to stop ourselves from trying one of everything. If you plan a visit to Owamni, be sure to book a reservation well in advance, this restaurant is a hot ticket.
Some of the small-plate dishes we ordered. Top row: blue corn mush and roasted sweet potatoes. Bottom row: bison stew, and bison strip loin. Undeniably the best meal I have ever had.
We greatly enjoyed our time in Minneapolis and cannot wait to return, hopefully in the spring. With so many things to see and do, it makes the perfect destination for a weekend getaway or an extended stay.
- Check out John’s research postcard from New Haven as well!
- “Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition,” Minnesota History Center, accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/sherlock.
