Traverse des Sioux

01/21/2026

Our neighbors are closing early today, so restroom use will not be available after 2:00 PM. The parking lot is also unplowed at the moment.

We will close at 2:00 PM today due to worsening weather and driving conditions to ensure the safety of our staff and volunteers. The staff will work remotely for the rest of the day. Please stay safe!

10/09/2025

Today the trip from St. Paul to Traverse des Sioux takes under 90 minutes by car. In 1854, the same journey by steamboat took two and a half days. As one traveler wrote, “The steamer pokes along as if it had half a mind not to go at all.”

10/07/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Shadows at the Crossing!

Over two nights, 152 attendees explored the lantern-lit trail at Traverse des Sioux and helped bring history to life just by being part of it. Your curiosity, questions, and enthusiasm make this event special year after year.

A heartfelt thank you also to our actors, guides, and volunteers. You make the stories shine!

We’re grateful to everyone who shared these evenings with us and hope to see you again next fall!

10/06/2025

In 1838, Joseph Nicollet traveled to Traverse des Sioux. His 1843 map showed rivers as the highways of his day, reminding us how waterways shaped Minnesota’s history.

Image: Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi River. Nicollet, J. N. (Joseph Nicolas), 1786-1843 ; Fremont, J.C. 1843

10/02/2025

The name Dakota is often translated as “friend” or “ally.” Related to this, the word Odakota means a state of peace. Dakota lifeways emphasized kinship, responsibility, and harmony with others. As Ella Deloria wrote, “Peace-making is our heritage.”

09/30/2025

The Dakota word Ecakensdonyapi means “knowing naturally.” Dakota people lived close to the land for countless generations, reading nature’s signs and understanding the cycles of plants and animals.

Image: Seth Eastman, 1808-1875. 1850. "Spearing Fish from a Canoe." Nicollet County Historical Society.

09/28/2025

In 1843, Stephen and Mary Riggs arrived at Traverse des Sioux to establish a mission. While they hoped to convert Dakota people to Christianity, many Dakota maintained their own deeply rooted spiritual practices.

Learn more about Rev. Riggs at "Shadows at the Crossing" on October 3 and 4. https://bit.ly/shadows-at-the-crossing-2025

09/26/2025

Check out some of the scholarships we offer on our website - https://mnhs.info/46Trb8f

09/25/2025

From the 1820s to 1870s, Red River ox carts creaked through Traverse des Sioux on long journeys from present-day Winnipeg. Their loud wooden wheels earned them the nickname “the Northern Fiddle.”

Image: Old Trading House, Traverse des Sioux, 1851 by Frank Blackwell Mayer. Used with permission.

09/22/2025

In the fur trade era, rivers were the best highways. From Traverse des Sioux, Dakota, trappers and traders shipped beaver, muskrat, and fox pelts downstream, linking Minnesota to a global market.

09/18/2025

People have lived and traveled at Traverse des Sioux for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found evidence going back nearly 9,000 years. A 1994 excavation uncovered more than 10,000 artifacts, including broken glass, ceramics, and pipe fragments, helping us better understand this site.

09/15/2025

Traverse des Sioux, known in Dakota as Oiyuwege (“the crossing”), was a shallow, rocky place in the Minnesota River that served as a natural fording spot. For centuries, people crossed here to move between the woodlands and the prairies.