Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims became involved with honoring our ancestors by 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.

Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims is a settler advocate group that was formed in December, 2011, by descendants whose ancestors settled in the Birch Coulie settlement in Renville County. We now represent nearly 100 members from across Minnesota and beyond, and our followers include descendants of settlers from many of the counties impacted by the Dakota uprising.

Our companion Facebook page is visited by over 450 people per week, and over 160 people have stated they “liked” its content. Our website at www.dakotavictims1862.com now includes more than 50 descendant stories, many having never been seen before, and more are submitted weekly. We publish a quarterly newsletter and are steadily adding new members.

Plans are now moving ahead to dedicate more township markers honoring more Dakota War victims in Renville County. We are also discussing the telling of our settler stories with various historical societies. We will not let our settlers disappear and die.