Author Archives: Carrie Zeman

The Dakota War Goes Digital

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Every golden moment in my research career is tied to the feel of old paper beneath my fingertips. So I will be the last one to counsel researchers to settle for sources available on the Internet! At the same time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Doing Historical Research, Minnesota Historical Society | Leave a comment

Lamson’s Daughter Tells the Story of Little Crow’s Death

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Researching the beam story, I strayed upon a new telling of the story of Little Crow’s death related by Nathan Lamson’s daughter, Mary Elizabeth. Mary was 57 in 1913 when her story appeared in the Mankato Free Press on December … Continue reading →

Posted in Little Crow | 18 Comments

It Started with The War in Words

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

On October 15, 2011,  Zabelle Stodola and I were on a panel on discussing the challenges and rewards of interdisciplinary work on Indian captivity narratives at the Western History Association annual meeting in Oakland, California. This is the story we … Continue reading →

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The Next Chapter

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Sunday April 29, 2012, the Mankato Free Press ran a pair of articles (see the “In the News” tab at the top of this page) opening  the latest chapter in the story of the mystery beam at the Blue Earth County … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Earth County Beam | Leave a comment

The 19 foot by 9 inch Splinter

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

This week I finished my first-pass research  on the execution artifacts, including my findings on the beam reputed to be from the gallows that executed 38 Dakota men in Mankato in 1862:  Execution Artifacts Report in PDF form, “A Veiled Cabinet of … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Earth County Beam, Opinion | Leave a comment

“The scaffolding must have been sufficient to build the state capitol”

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Truth be told, one of the reasons I love doing history is that there’s always something new just around the corner. Today, filing sources that I pulled to write about the execution artifacts, I encountered two more newspaper clippings about … Continue reading →

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“The No Win War”

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

The May 2012 issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine contains a well-written article by Gregory J. Scott about the controversy of commemorating the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862: “The No Win War.” If you are new to the subject –as I was twenty years … Continue reading →

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Up in Smoke, Twice?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

I’m writing a paper on the provenance of a collection of 1862 execution-related artifacts, inluding the mystery beam in Blue Earth County and have a pile of sources on my desk to digest, including a newspaper clippings file. Clippings files are a … Continue reading →

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What We See is What We Think We See

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

In history, as in life, what we see is what we think. Or maybe more precisely, what we see is what we think we see. Have you ever brought home a piece of fruit from the grocery store only to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Earth County Beam, Opinion | 1 Comment

Ite Maza Speaks

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

I’m rounding up primary sources for my daughter’s sixth grade history teacher to supplement Northern Lights: The Stories of Minnesota’s Past (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003). Sixth grade isn’t exactly the coolest time to be proud of your mom, except … Continue reading →

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