Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims became involved with honoring our ancestors by first dedicating a memorial for the Birch Coulie victims at the Renville County Historical Society on August 18, 2012. There were 175 people who attended that gathering.
We are now a settler advocate group for our ancestors who settled not only in Renville County but across the State of Minnesota. Our grass roots group now has nearly 150 descendants from across Minnesota and beyond, and our followers include not only descendants, but also historians and friends who have interest in the U.S.-Dakota War.
Family and Friends does not treat the word “victims” lightly. In our case, it applies to any who were killed, injured, taken captive, had escaped, had lost property, those who fought and any who had their lives impacted during the U.S.-Dakota War and after. This website is intended to be a clearing-house for collecting and disseminating stories, photographs, and lists that are pertinent to the war and its aftermath and are submitted to us by the descendants of any victims.
Our volunteers provided research, funding and outreach for the three interpretive panels that are now dedicated on the grounds of the Renville County Historical Society.
Our companion Facebook page (found by googling Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims) is visited by over 450 people per week, and over 230 people have stated they “liked” its content. We continue to post new items of interest about the U.S.-Dakota War on the FB page and our website and welcome your comments, photographs and stories.
