The final days of the European colonization of Iowa were dark indeed. While early Americans were pushing for westward expansion, the Native tribes of the Iowa plains suffered. As the settlers moved west, less game was available for hunting, and many treaties between the natives and settlers gave the local tribes the short end of the stick, and consequently there was a bloody feuding history between them. In retaliation, a band of Wahpekute Indians, led by Inkpaduta, made an attack on a settlement near what is now Okoboji, Iowa, and it was a blood bath.
The Spirit Lake Massacre
Flickr.com/ Boston Public Library The Wahpekute were a band of Santee Sioux, and their culture was similar to the Sioux photographed here in 1898. Their leader, Inkpaduta, was a renegade chief. Food shortages and the death of the Inkpaduta’s brother at the hands of white settlers fueled the attack. 35-40 settlers were killed, and four females were taken hostage for ransom. The youngest of the abducted, Abbie Gardner, made a memoir of her times in captivity.
Flickr.com/ Abbie Gardner Sharp A photo of Abbie Gardner, years after her abduction and ransom.
Flickr.com/ J. Stephen Conn The Spirit Lake Massacre was the last altercation between Native Iowans and early settlers of its scale. This memorial stands in honor of Abbie Gardner, one of the last people to have an abduction story regarding Native Americans.
After the massacre, things went down hill rapidly for the Natives. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hunt for food with the rising population of immigrants. Government sanctions drove them onto smaller and smaller reservations, and now their population is a fraction of what it once was.
Flickr.com/ Boston Public Library
The Wahpekute were a band of Santee Sioux, and their culture was similar to the Sioux photographed here in 1898. Their leader, Inkpaduta, was a renegade chief. Food shortages and the death of the Inkpaduta’s brother at the hands of white settlers fueled the attack. 35-40 settlers were killed, and four females were taken hostage for ransom. The youngest of the abducted, Abbie Gardner, made a memoir of her times in captivity.
Flickr.com/ Abbie Gardner Sharp
A photo of Abbie Gardner, years after her abduction and ransom.
Flickr.com/ J. Stephen Conn
The Spirit Lake Massacre was the last altercation between Native Iowans and early settlers of its scale. This memorial stands in honor of Abbie Gardner, one of the last people to have an abduction story regarding Native Americans.
The Spirit Lake Massacre was a grisly event that left a dark stain on Okoboji’s history, and we will likely never forget it. Had you heard of this gory event? Let us know what other dark historical occurrences you know about in the comment section below.
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