Sandy Lake Tragedy
Encyclopedia
The Sandy Lake Tragedy was the culmination of a series of events centered in Sandy Lake, Minnesota
, that resulted in the deaths in 1850 of several hundred Lake Superior
Chippewa. Officials of the Zachary Taylor
Administration and Minnesota Territory
sought to relocate several bands of the tribe to areas west of the Mississippi River
. By changing the location for fall annuity
payments, the officials intended the Chippewa to stay there for the winter and lower their resistance to relocation. Due to delayed and inadequate payments of annuities and lack of promised supplies, about 400 Ojibwe, mostly men, (12% of the tribe) died of disease, starvation, and freezing. Ojibwe resistance increased and they effectively gained public support to achieve permanent reservations
in their traditional territories.
region, from east to west, in modern-day Ontario
, Michigan
, Wisconsin
, and Minnesota
. The bands in Wisconsin, Michigan, and parts of eastern Minnesota that were east of the Mississippi River
effectively came under the terms of the Indian Removal Act
of 1830. At that time, European Americans had not yet reached these lands for settlement, and there was little political pressure for Ojibwe removal.
By 1850, however, the mid-century wave of increased migration to Wisconsin and Minnesota had altered the political climate. European Americans pressed Congress and the President for relief from competing with the Ojibwe. High-ranking officials in President Zachary Taylor
's administration planned an unlawful and unconstitutional removal of the Ojibwe, breaking multiple treaties in the process. The policy was planned by Secretary of Interior Thomas Ewing, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Orlando Brown, Minnesota Territory
Governor
Alexander Ramsey and Sub-Agent John Watrous. Although Ewing and Brown left office before the events took place, Ramsey and Watrous were involved throughout.
to move the location of the fall payment of annual annuities and provision of supplies. The BIA notified the people that rather than being held at La Pointe, Wisconsin
, the economic and spiritual center of the nation, it would be moved to a sub-agency at the more isolated trade-hub location of Sandy Lake, Minnesota
. By bringing the Ojibwe to Minnesota in late fall and planning to delay them there, the BIA expected they would have to stay there for the winter. The officials involved hoped to wear down the Chippewa resistance to relocation, and kept the scheme secret from local Americans as well as the American Indians. Once relocated, the Chippewa would spend their annuity payments in Minnesota rather than in Wisconsin and benefit the local and regional patronage system. Such an outcome would be economically and politically beneficial to the officials who planned the strategy.
Concerned about the issues of the move, many bands of Ojibwe gathered to deliberate their options. The discussions were so lengthy that the Ojibwe had little time to plant their regular spring crops. As a result, they had to go to Sandy Lake to gain payments and supplies for their survival.
In the fall of 1850, representatives from 19 Ojibwe bands packed up and started the arduous journey to the shores of Sandy Lake, where they had been told to gather by late October. Nearly 3,000 Ojibwe men waited there for several weeks before a government agent arrived.
He informed them that the government had been unable to send the appropriate money and supplies. It was early December before a small portion of the payment finally arrived. Much of the food supplies were spoiled and only a small percentage of the payment arrived. By this time, crowded in inadequate camps, about 150 Ojibwe had already died of dysentery
, measles
, starvation, or freezing. They returned to their home territories under peril: aside from being weak from sickness and hunger, the Ojibwe had not expected to have to make such a winter journey. As a result, 200-230 more Ojibwe died before reaching their homes by the following January.
bands under the leadership of Chief Buffalo of La Pointe, pressed President Millard Fillmore
to cancel the removal order. Many of the United States public were outraged about the government's treatment of the Ojibwe and supported the end of removal. Chief Buffalo called on Wisconsin residents to support them in their effort to stay in the territory. Not wanting to live with Indians among them, European Americans encouraged the establishment of Indian Reservation
s.
During the three years following the Sandy Lake events, Chief Buffalo negotiated hard and became a proponent for permanent reservations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. This strategy was detailed under the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe
. The Chippewa/Ojibwe achieved their major goal - to stay within their traditional territories. Many of the bands agreed to the founding of Ojibwe Reservations and relocation to them. The majority of the reservations were created at already well-established Ojibwe communities. Often it required the aggregation of less powerful bands with their more powerful neighbors.
Under the Treaty of La Pointe, the following reservations were established:
The following year, by the Treaty of Washington (1855)
, the government created additional reservations in Minnesota.
For the Pillager Chippewa
:
For the Mississippi Chippewa:
The same treaty established the Rice Lake Indian Reservation. Because the Bureau of Land Management
objected and said the Rice Lake Indian Reservation was within the boundaries of the Sandy Lake Reservation, it was never formally platted.
and the Mole Lake Band
held out in hopes the United States
would fulfill previously broken treaties. They refused to sign the Treaty of La Pointe
. By refusing the treaty and relocation, the two Ojibwe bands lost their federal recognition and associated benefits.
They did not regain legal recognition until the Indian Reorganization Act
of 1934, also known as the Indian "New Deal
". During the non-recognition period, the Mole Lake Band became associated with the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation. The majority of the St. Croix Band was split and associated with both Lac Courte Oreilles and Mille Lacs Lake Indian reservations.
Along with Bois Brulé Band, the St. Croix Band at the river's headwaters refused aggregation with the La Pointe Band. The US Army forcibly removed them to the Gull Lake Indian Reservation in central Minnesota. Because the action was illegally taken under the Indian Removal Act despite its official end, Chief Bagonegiizhig of the Gull Lake Band negotiated hard with the BIA
to restore these groups to Wisconsin. Not having much success, Chief Bagonegiizhig led his people in the Dakota War of 1862
against the United States. The alliance proved ill-fated, resulting in much of the Mississippi Chippewa being uprooted and removed further west. First they were relocated to the vicinity of Leech Lake, and eventually to the White Earth Indian Reservation
.
Sandy Lake Dam Campgrounds. In addition, the state created a rest area with a view of Sandy Lake along Minnesota State Highway 65
. A Historical Marker plaque memorializes the Sandy Lake Tragedy.
Sandy Lake, Minnesota
Sandy Lake is an unincorporated Native American village located in Turner Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. Its name in the Ojibwe language is Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag, meaning "Place of the Sandy-shored Lake"...
, that resulted in the deaths in 1850 of several hundred Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
Chippewa. Officials of the Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
Administration and Minnesota Territory
Minnesota Territory
The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota.-History:...
sought to relocate several bands of the tribe to areas west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. By changing the location for fall annuity
Annuity (finance theory)
The term annuity is used in finance theory to refer to any terminating stream of fixed payments over a specified period of time. This usage is most commonly seen in discussions of finance, usually in connection with the valuation of the stream of payments, taking into account time value of money...
payments, the officials intended the Chippewa to stay there for the winter and lower their resistance to relocation. Due to delayed and inadequate payments of annuities and lack of promised supplies, about 400 Ojibwe, mostly men, (12% of the tribe) died of disease, starvation, and freezing. Ojibwe resistance increased and they effectively gained public support to achieve permanent reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in their traditional territories.
Background
By the 17th century, the Ojibwe nation was spread across the Lake SuperiorLake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
region, from east to west, in modern-day Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The bands in Wisconsin, Michigan, and parts of eastern Minnesota that were east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
effectively came under the terms of the Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
of 1830. At that time, European Americans had not yet reached these lands for settlement, and there was little political pressure for Ojibwe removal.
By 1850, however, the mid-century wave of increased migration to Wisconsin and Minnesota had altered the political climate. European Americans pressed Congress and the President for relief from competing with the Ojibwe. High-ranking officials in President Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
's administration planned an unlawful and unconstitutional removal of the Ojibwe, breaking multiple treaties in the process. The policy was planned by Secretary of Interior Thomas Ewing, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Orlando Brown, Minnesota Territory
Minnesota Territory
The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota.-History:...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Alexander Ramsey and Sub-Agent John Watrous. Although Ewing and Brown left office before the events took place, Ramsey and Watrous were involved throughout.
Tragedy
To force the Ojibwe west of the Mississippi, Brown directed the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
to move the location of the fall payment of annual annuities and provision of supplies. The BIA notified the people that rather than being held at La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
, the economic and spiritual center of the nation, it would be moved to a sub-agency at the more isolated trade-hub location of Sandy Lake, Minnesota
Sandy Lake, Minnesota
Sandy Lake is an unincorporated Native American village located in Turner Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. Its name in the Ojibwe language is Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag, meaning "Place of the Sandy-shored Lake"...
. By bringing the Ojibwe to Minnesota in late fall and planning to delay them there, the BIA expected they would have to stay there for the winter. The officials involved hoped to wear down the Chippewa resistance to relocation, and kept the scheme secret from local Americans as well as the American Indians. Once relocated, the Chippewa would spend their annuity payments in Minnesota rather than in Wisconsin and benefit the local and regional patronage system. Such an outcome would be economically and politically beneficial to the officials who planned the strategy.
Concerned about the issues of the move, many bands of Ojibwe gathered to deliberate their options. The discussions were so lengthy that the Ojibwe had little time to plant their regular spring crops. As a result, they had to go to Sandy Lake to gain payments and supplies for their survival.
In the fall of 1850, representatives from 19 Ojibwe bands packed up and started the arduous journey to the shores of Sandy Lake, where they had been told to gather by late October. Nearly 3,000 Ojibwe men waited there for several weeks before a government agent arrived.
He informed them that the government had been unable to send the appropriate money and supplies. It was early December before a small portion of the payment finally arrived. Much of the food supplies were spoiled and only a small percentage of the payment arrived. By this time, crowded in inadequate camps, about 150 Ojibwe had already died of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
, starvation, or freezing. They returned to their home territories under peril: aside from being weak from sickness and hunger, the Ojibwe had not expected to have to make such a winter journey. As a result, 200-230 more Ojibwe died before reaching their homes by the following January.
Results
As a result of this tragedy, the Lake Superior ChippewaLake Superior Chippewa
The Lake Superior Chippewa were a historical band of Ojibwe Indians living around Lake Superior in what is now the northern parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.-Origins:...
bands under the leadership of Chief Buffalo of La Pointe, pressed President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
to cancel the removal order. Many of the United States public were outraged about the government's treatment of the Ojibwe and supported the end of removal. Chief Buffalo called on Wisconsin residents to support them in their effort to stay in the territory. Not wanting to live with Indians among them, European Americans encouraged the establishment of Indian Reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
s.
During the three years following the Sandy Lake events, Chief Buffalo negotiated hard and became a proponent for permanent reservations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. This strategy was detailed under the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe
Treaty of La Pointe
The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
. The Chippewa/Ojibwe achieved their major goal - to stay within their traditional territories. Many of the bands agreed to the founding of Ojibwe Reservations and relocation to them. The majority of the reservations were created at already well-established Ojibwe communities. Often it required the aggregation of less powerful bands with their more powerful neighbors.
Under the Treaty of La Pointe, the following reservations were established:
- Grand PortageGrand Portage Indian ReservationThe Grand Portage Indian Reservation is located in Cook County near the tip of Minnesota's Arrowhead Region in the extreme northeast part of the state. The community was considered part of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa, but is not a party to the treaties that group signed...
; - Fond du LacFond du Lac Indian ReservationThe Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and St. Louis counties, with off-reservation holdings in Douglas County in Wisconsin...
; - Red Cliff;
- Lac Courte Oreilles;
- Bad River,
- Lac Vieux DesertLac Vieux Desert Indian ReservationLac Vieux Desert Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in Watersmeet Township of southeastern Gogebic County, in the western part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is the landbase for the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The reservation has a total land area of...
, L'AnseL'Anse Indian ReservationThe L'Anse Indian Reservation is the land base of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of the Lake Superior Bands of Chippewa Indians . It is located primarily in two non-contiguous sections on either side of the Keweenaw Bay in Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan...
; - OntonagonOntonagon Indian ReservationThe Ontonagon Indian Reservation is the homeland of a branch of the Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe. It is located in northeastern Ontonagon Township, in northeastern Ontonagon County, on the south shore of Lake Superior, about 20 km northeast of the village of Ontonagon, Michigan, USA...
; and - Lac du Flambeau.
The following year, by the Treaty of Washington (1855)
Treaty of Washington (1855)
The 1855 Treaty of Washington may refer to any of the four treaties signed between the United States and various Native American governments.-Treaty with the Wyandot:...
, the government created additional reservations in Minnesota.
For the Pillager Chippewa
Pillager Band of Chippewa Indians
Pillager Band of Chippewa Indians are a historical band of Chippewa , originally living at the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Their name "Pillagers" is a translation of Makandwewininiwag, which literally means "Pillaging Men"...
:
- Leech LakeLeech Lake Indian ReservationThe Leech Lake Indian Reservation or Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag in the Ojibwe language, is an Native American reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. It is the land-base for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe...
; - Cass LakeLeech Lake Indian ReservationThe Leech Lake Indian Reservation or Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag in the Ojibwe language, is an Native American reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. It is the land-base for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe...
; and - Lake WinnibigoshishLeech Lake Indian ReservationThe Leech Lake Indian Reservation or Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag in the Ojibwe language, is an Native American reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. It is the land-base for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe...
Indian reservations.
For the Mississippi Chippewa:
- Sandy LakeMille Lacs Indian ReservationMille Lacs Indian Reservation is the land-base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Central Minnesota, about 100 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul...
; - Pokegama Lake;
- Rabbit Lake;
- Gull Lake; and
- Mille Lacs LakeMille Lacs Indian ReservationMille Lacs Indian Reservation is the land-base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Central Minnesota, about 100 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul...
reservations.
The same treaty established the Rice Lake Indian Reservation. Because the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
objected and said the Rice Lake Indian Reservation was within the boundaries of the Sandy Lake Reservation, it was never formally platted.
Unfulfilled hopes
Despite the Sandy Lake Tragedy, the St. Croix BandSt. Croix Chippewa Indians
The St. Croix Chippewa Indians are a historical Band of Ojibwe located along the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Majority of the St. Croix Band are divided into two groups: the Federally recognized St...
and the Mole Lake Band
Sokaogon Chippewa Community
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community, or the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is a band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, many of whom reside on the Mole Lake Indian Reservation, an Indian reservation located at in Mole Lake, Wisconsin, in Forest County near Crandon.The Mole Lake Indian...
held out in hopes the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
would fulfill previously broken treaties. They refused to sign the Treaty of La Pointe
Treaty of La Pointe
The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
. By refusing the treaty and relocation, the two Ojibwe bands lost their federal recognition and associated benefits.
They did not regain legal recognition until the Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
of 1934, also known as the Indian "New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
". During the non-recognition period, the Mole Lake Band became associated with the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation. The majority of the St. Croix Band was split and associated with both Lac Courte Oreilles and Mille Lacs Lake Indian reservations.
Along with Bois Brulé Band, the St. Croix Band at the river's headwaters refused aggregation with the La Pointe Band. The US Army forcibly removed them to the Gull Lake Indian Reservation in central Minnesota. Because the action was illegally taken under the Indian Removal Act despite its official end, Chief Bagonegiizhig of the Gull Lake Band negotiated hard with the BIA
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
to restore these groups to Wisconsin. Not having much success, Chief Bagonegiizhig led his people in the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
against the United States. The alliance proved ill-fated, resulting in much of the Mississippi Chippewa being uprooted and removed further west. First they were relocated to the vicinity of Leech Lake, and eventually to the White Earth Indian Reservation
White Earth Indian Reservation
The White Earth Indian Reservation is the home to the White Earth Nation, located in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in that state...
.
Sandy Lake Memorials
On October 12, 2000, the US erected a memorial commemorating the Sandy Lake Tragedy at the United States Army Corps of EngineersUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
Sandy Lake Dam Campgrounds. In addition, the state created a rest area with a view of Sandy Lake along Minnesota State Highway 65
Minnesota State Highway 65
Minnesota State Highway 65 is a highway in east-central and northeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with Washington Avenue at the north end of downtown Minneapolis and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S...
. A Historical Marker plaque memorializes the Sandy Lake Tragedy.
See also
- OjibwaOjibwaThe Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
- Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi ChippewaSandy Lake Band of Mississippi ChippewaSandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa are a historical Ojibwa tribe located in the upper Mississippi River basin, on and around Big Sandy Lake in what today is in Aitkin County, Minnesota...
- Chief Buffalo