MPR’s Hannah Yang profiles the Dakota 38+2 riders, as they make trip honoring ancestors. The group travel hundreds of miles on horseback to honor 38 men hanged in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. The ride also remembers the many others who died as a result of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 started when Indian agents withheld food and supplies guaranteed under treaty with the Dakota people, part of an effort to force the Dakota off their land. Hundreds died in the war that lasted a little over a month. More than 300 Dakota warriors were sentenced to death, but there was public outcry. Many religious leaders protested the executions to President Abraham Lincoln. He reviewed each case and reduced the number to 38. About 1,700 Dakota people, mostly women and children, who weren’t sentenced to death or prison were removed from Lower Agency to Fort Snelling in November 1862.

Awarded:

2022 MBJA Eric Sevareid Award, award of merit in General Reporting - Large Market Radio category