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The Spirit Lake Massacre (March 8–12, 1857) was an attack by a ''Wahpekute'' band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta (Scarlet Point) led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of Iowa near the Minnesota border, in revenge of the murder of Inkpaduta's brother, Sidominadotah, and Sidominadotah's family by Henry Lott. The Sioux killed 35-40 settlers in their scattered holdings, took four young women captive, and headed north. The youngest captive, Abbie Gardner, was kept a few months before being ransomed in early summer. It was the last Native American attack on settlers in Iowa, but the events increased tensions between the Sioux and settlers in the Minnesota Territory. Nearly 30 years after the events, in 1885 Gardner-Sharp published her memoir, ''History of the Spirit Lake Massacre and Captivity of Miss Abbie Gardner'', whose popularity led to reprinting several editions. It was one of the last captivity narratives written of European Americans' being held by Native Americans. Gardner-Sharp sold the book at the tourist site she operated at her cabin for 30 years after buying it back in 1891. The town erected a memorial, and the state now maintains the park and Abbie Gardner Sharp home site. ==Background== Inkpaduta led a small band of Wahpekutes who had been expelled from the main band in dissension following the murder of a chief in 1840. (Other major bands of Sioux in the region were the Wahpeton and Sisseton.) Including some women and children, his band followed the game and lived by hunting, whose yield was decreasing under pressure of new settlement. They also received some annuities under the Traverse des Sioux and Mendota 1852 treaties but never received the rightful amount owed by the United States for lands the Sioux were forced to cede.〔(Roy Willard Meyer, ''History of the Santee Sioux: United States Indian Policy on Trial'' ), Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1967, revised edition 1993, accessed 17 Oct 2010〕 By the terms of the Traverse des Sioux treaty, a reservation was set up along the Minnesota River, about 15 miles above Fort Ridgely. Promised improvements were not made on time and the federal government repeatedly failed to make adequate and timely annuity payments, even failing to authorize adequate budgets for the Department of Interior for this purpose. Provisions for education were not started for several years; only a few missionaries taught the Sioux bands. Lands were not adequately plowed for cultivation. Supplies were shipped too late and in inadequate amounts, to the point where the Sioux could not survive on them. By 1856, many Mdewakantons and Wahpekutes still came to the reservation just to get annuity payments, and returned to old hunting grounds to survive, especially during the winter. As they encountered more new settlers, conflicts arose. In a reorganization, in the summer of 1856 Charles A. Flandrau was appointed US Indian agent. Said to be an experienced trader and a man of integrity, he worked at improving conditions, but had much ground to make up. Many Sioux in addition to Inkpaduta's band were living off the reservation because of the government's failures.〔Meyer, ''Santee Sioux', pp. 90-98〕 Suffering food shortages during the severe winter of 1856-1857, which saw heavy snows, Inkpaduta and his band begged for food at European-American settlements in northwestern Iowa. Also struggling that winter, whites rebuffed the Indians with violence and a posse disarmed Inkpaduta's band after they killed a settler's dog that had bitten one of the band.〔Meyer, p. 98〕 They managed to acquire arms and retaliated by attacking settlements there and at Spirit Lake.〔 In another account, the tribe was camped near currant day Smithland, Iowa. Native people were sometimes beaten and chased for stealing livestock and scavenging grain in harvested fields; thus, weary of the group, who in turn “borrowed” community items freely if they could, a vigilante group from Smithland went out to their encampment. The group, including John Howe, Eli Floyd and Jonathan Leach, appropriated guns and told the tribe they would be back in the morning. The Indians broke camp that night. Defenseless, and hungry, the band moved north. Perhaps the first raid of the Spirit Lake Massacre came at Lost Island Lake, now near Ruthven, Iowa. A warrior of the group, who approached the Gillett cabin, was shot and decapitated while looking for food and rifles. As the tribe destroyed homes and lives on their journey, they came across Jowl Howe, who was also decapitated. The warriors killed 35-40 settlers.〔(Keenan, Jerry. ''Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars'' ), ABC-CLIO, Inc.: California, 1997, accessed 16 Oct 2010〕 The Sioux took four young women as captives, 14-year-old Abbie Gardner and three who were married, and headed back to Minnesota territory.〔(Gardner-Sharp, Abbie. ''History of the Spirit Lake Massacre and Captivity of Miss Abbie Gardner'' ), Des Moines: Iowa Printing, 1885 (reprinted 1892, 1910), accessed 16 Oct 2010〕 Word spread about the attacks, and the U.S. Indian Agent organized an armed militia of white citizens. Because of the heavy snows, a relief expedition from Fort Dodge failed to arrive in time to defend Springfield. Another expedition from Fort Ridgely in Minnesota pursued Inkpaduta and his band, but failed to catch them.〔("Spirit Lake Massacre" ), ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', accessed 3 May 2010〕 While settlers demanded vengeance and rumors proliferated, the territorial authorities decided not to act against the Sioux until the captives had been returned. Settlers killed innocent Sioux who were caught hunting near them. When contact was made with Inkpaduta's group, the officials found that two of the captive women had been killed. In May the territorial legislature authorized a ransom, and a few days later two Wahpeton men brought in the third matron, Mrs. Margaret Ann Marble, for ransom.〔 By the summer, Gov. Samuel Medary of the Minnesota Territory, and the Indian agent at ''Lac qui Parle'' ,〔("DICKINSON COUNTY: DESCRIPTION, From our Own Correspondent" ), Tour of Iowa Counties, ''Daily State Register'', 4 May 1869, on Genealogy Trails, accessed 16 Oct 2010〕 completed negotiations for the ransom of Abbie Gardner, who was returned to Spirit Lake.〔 During the summer, after struggling to marshal troops and attract allied Sioux warriors, the Indian Agency pursued Inkpaduta and his band, but most evaded capture. The Sioux refused to join another expedition.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Spirit Lake Massacre」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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