Down on the Farm

The next two days would be all about getting to know my friends of twelve years - face to face. Together, we fought a long battle to cure electrical problems that were affecting their cows - all long distance. In the process, I came to know some details about the family, such as the fact that their names were Chuck and Wanda, with a son, Lee.

So, there was my Wanda and me, and then this pair. It was confusing, so we decided early on that they would be referred to as the Udder Chuck and Wanda. That kept everything straight.

Leaving Ft. Ridgely, it was a relatively short (86 mi.) drive to the dairy farm. I arrived early in the day.
My route was roughly that taken by Jerome's company in 1857 in response to the massacre.

As I arrived, a view from the farmhouse was interesting. I'm told there are over 20 cats helping to control the rodents.

Barnyard Cats

Another convenient coincidence, besides our names, is the fact that the Udder Wanda was raised near the site where the massacre that I wanted to investigate took place, near Spirit Lake, IA.

So, while the Udder Chuck minded the farm, Wanda and I took a 17 mile trip to tour the 1857 massacre site and a nearby museum.

Spirit Lake Massacre, and the story of a survivor

The settlers in this region were, as was often the case, on the edge of a frontier, not always under the protection of a nearby army garrison. Such was the case at Spirit Lake. The natives, displaced from their hunting grounds, were often in dire straights when it came to providing for their families. Such was the case as the harsh winter of 1856-57 took its toll. The history of the Iowa National Guard paints a pretty clear picture of what happened at Spirit Lake.

Confrontations were often the result of misunderstandings between the settlers and the natives. In this case, a settler had killed the brother of a Sioux Chief, Inkpaduta, who then took out his revenge on several settlements.

Abbie Gardner was just 13 years old at the time of the massacre. More than 30 settlers were killed, including her family, but she, with 3 other women from nearby settlements, were taken captive. Abbie was ransomed a few months later, and would live out her life in her reconstructed cabin, retelling her story of the massacre.

The Udder Wanda shows me Abbie Gardner's Cabin

 As I learned when I visited the museum in Lakefield, MN, there were two sides to the story of the massacre, one told by Captain Bee, the commander of Company D of the 10th Infantry, and one by those who responded from Ft. Dodge. One can second guess the motives and actions of the various players, but I prefer to let readers examine stories and draw their own conclusions.

We returned to the farm

 

Wanda and I returned to the farm and I was treated to a fine dinner out with a wonderful family. I look forward to more visits with them, both by email and in person.

I'll be bouncing back and forth between the present and the past for the next few posts as I follow the 10th Regiment on their way west during the balance of 1857.

Next stop for Jerome - Ft. Kearney, Nebraska.