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Henry Hastings Sibley: Divided Heart

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Rhoda Gilman has written an authoritative and interesting account of Henry Hasting Sibley's life. Although Sibley's entire life and career centered around the upper midwest, he was involved in a number of different activities, from the fur trade to representing Minnesota as its first state governor. He had many dealings with the Sioux (and other) Indians in Minnesota and the Dakota Territory, producing the "Divided Heart" of Gilman's subtitle.

Sibley was born in Detroit in 1811, a town known for its cultural diversity at the time, and he knew French and French ways. He first worked for the American Fur Company on Mackinac Island, but then was put in charge of the company's operations on the upper Mississippi. This is when he built his famous stone house at Mendota, across the river from Fort Snelling. He went to Washington in 1848 to help secure recognition of Minnesota as a territory. He was able to cede lands from the Sioux in 1851 and was elected first state governor in 1857. He opposed the harsh policies against the Indians popular with the federal government at the time, but to no avail. In 1862, as the head of the state militia, he was instrumental in subduing the Sioux at Wood Lake during the Minnesota Uprising. The following year he led an expedition into Dakota Territory to reduce the remaining Sioux. After this successful campaign he retired to St. Paul, where among other things, he was president of the Minnesota Historical Society for a number of years.

Sibley left all his papers to the Society and Gilman makes excellent use of them. She writes in a very forceful style and her book should remain the definitive biography of Sibley for years to come. Highly recommended.