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| | | Location: Home » Dolphins » Soldier, Settler, and Sioux: Fort Ridgely and the Minnesota River Valley, 1853-1867 (Prairie Plains Series, No. 8) | |
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| Soldier, Settler, and Sioux: Fort Ridgely and the Minnesota River Valley, 1853-1867 (Prairie Plains Series, No. 8) | 
| Author: Paul Norman Beck
Publisher: Center for Western Studies
Category: Book
Buy Used: $22.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 2209089
Media: Paperback
Pages: 199
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0931170753
Dewey Decimal Number: 977.632
EAN: 9780931170751
ASIN: 0931170753
Publication Date: August 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 8vo, xiv + 198pp. Softcover, in excellent conditon. Like new.
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| Customer Reviews:
An interesting history of a frontier fort March 31, 2008
Paul N. Beck's "Soldier, Settler and Sioux," is an account of Fort Ridgely, a American frontier fort established in the upper Minnesota River Valley in 1853's near the edge of a new Dakota reservation. The book details the founding of the fort and its role in suppressing the Native Americans over the ensuing years. It explores the background and political situation concerning the Dakota tribes in the area as well as the pressures in the area that led to the fort's founding. In active use for only 14 years, Fort Ridgely was intended to support the settlement of the valley by Americans heading west and police Native American elements in the area.
During the Dakota Indian War of 1862, which was caused by the broken promises of the Federal Government and the disreputable actions of traders and settlers, the fort became the site of several battles and a siege. Other battles were fought within the general area and the fort itself became an economic center with its protection a draw for more settlement. It also had a direct relationship with the eventual removal of the Santee Indians from the area entirely. The history of the fort and its impact on Native Americans in the area is part of the tapestry of the history of Minnesota.
While the fort was mostly dismantled (the stone and timber carted off for use in local farmsteads) after its abandonment in the late 1860's, efforts by local community leaders in the late 19th century helped to establish the fort and its surrounding area as a state park. The park is open to visitors and several of the fort's original structures have been rebuilt or recreated.
Beck is an above average writer. He writes in a dry, factual style, with hints of wit. While the book covers the entire history of the fort, the officers and men there, including the battles, Beck is careful to provide an overview of the communities and Native Americans that surrounded them as well as background in why events occurred as they did. As "Soldier's..." is intended as a broad history of the fort, the book can be a bit slow at times when he focuses on such subjects as inventories of equipment and supplies used and the logistics of trade and maintaining the establishment.
Dry spots aside, the book itself is a worthwhile read. It is loaded details, providing a rich background for understanding what went into building, maintaining and staffing a frontier fort. Beck's attention to detail, impeccable research, sourcing and clear knowledge of his subject make this book a great resource for those studying the history of the social clash of Americans and America's Natives.
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