8/15/2009:
It was on this date in 1863 that General Sibley, along with a US Army force over 3,000 strong, crossed Buffalo Creek in present-day west-central Cass County.
Travelling to Fort Abercrombie, Sibley's campaign against those Dakota believed responsible for a series of attacks in Minnesota the year before was coming to an end. His army had trekked nearly 1,000 miles, engaged in three major battles and a number of skirmishes, yet was entirely unable to force the Dakota into surrender. By mid-August Sibley was compelled to end his summer campaign without completing his objective.
Today, Buffalo Creek State Historic Site, marked with a simple plaque fixed to a boulder, stands as a reminder of the fateful Sibley expedition over a century and a half ago.
Dakota Datebook written by Lane Sunwall
Sources
North Dakota Tourism Division, "Buffalo Creek State Historic Site" http://www.ndtourism.com/whatdo/attractions/attraction-details.asp?AID=859 (accessed August 4, 2009).
Snortland, J. Signe, ed. A Traveler's Companion to North Dakota State Historic Sites. Bismarck, ND: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 2002.
"State Historical Society of North Dakota Strategic Long Range Plan", State Historical Society of North Dakota http://www.nd.gov/hist/LRPlan.htm (accessed January 19, 2009).