Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Spirit Lake Massacre
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Read Next
The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.
14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
President's bingo. Guess and select to correct president based on images.
Britannica’s U.S. Presidents Bingo
Discover
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?

Spirit Lake Massacre

United States history [1857]
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/event/Spirit-Lake-Massacre
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
Date:
March 8, 1857 - March 12, 1857
Location:
Iowa
United States
Participants:
Oceti Sakowin
See all related content

Spirit Lake Massacre, (March 8–12, 1857), incident in northwestern Iowa, U.S., in which a band of Sioux Indians led by Inkpaduta killed more than 30 white people. In 1856 five cabins had been built and occupied by whites near Okoboji lakes and Spirit Lake. After a severe winter, the Sioux attacked, killed 32 men, women, and children on the spot and abducted four women, of whom two were subsequently killed, one released voluntarily, and one ransomed. A relief expedition sent from Ft. Dodge arrived only in time to bury the dead. Another, sent from Ft. Ridgely in Minnesota, pursued Inkpaduta, who fled westward, but failed to overtake him. The massacre was commemorated by a monument erected in 1895 at nearby Arnolds Park.