Moe's Southwest Grill Is Coming to Apple Valley

The planning commission unanimously signed off on a new location at 150th and Pennock, right in the middle of the 150th Street restaurant corridor. One neighbor raised parking concerns, but the city says the numbers work. Council still has to give final approval.

Farmington Failed the State's Pay Equity Test

The city's pay structure hasn't been overhauled since 2013, and it shows. Farmington is now on the clock to fix it or face daily fines, so council just approved a study that could cost up to $83,600 to rebuild the whole thing from scratch.

Highway 61 Through Hastings Is Getting a Major Rebuild

Concrete pavement, two new roundabouts, updated signals, new sidewalks and trails, from 4th Street all the way to 36th Street. The $30–$40 million project is scheduled for 2028, and if you drive that corridor regularly, you'll want to know what's coming.

Rosemount's Connemara and Akron Intersection Is Getting a Roundabout

A $2.57 million contract just got awarded, construction starts late May, and the intersection will be completely shut down the entire time. Here's what you need to know before your commute changes.

THE CAMP BENEATH THE FORT

YOU DRIVE PAST IT every time you take 494 across the river. The fort on the bluff. The airport. The interchange. Below that bluff, in the winter of 1862-63, more than 1,600 Dakota people were held in a concentration camp. Mostly women. Mostly children. Mostly people who had nothing to do with the war.

Between 130 and 300 of them died there. The survivors were exiled from Minnesota forever.

There's a memorial now. Most people don't know it exists.

THE PLACE

The Dakota call this land Bdote—"where two waters come together." The confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. But Bdote is more than geography. In Dakota tradition, this is the center of the earth. The place where the first people emerged. Sacred for thousands of years before any fort was built on the bluff above it.

THE WAR

The US-Dakota War of 1862 lasted six weeks. The causes ran back decades—broken treaties, stolen land, late payments, starvation. By summer 1862, the Dakota were starving. Traders refused credit. One reportedly said, "If they are hungry, let them eat grass." On August 18, Dakota warriors attacked the Lower Sioux Agency and settlements along the Minnesota River. That trader was found dead, his mouth stuffed with grass.

The war ended in late September. Between 400 and 600 settlers and soldiers were dead. What happened next was not war. It was punishment.

THE TRIALS

Colonel Henry Sibley held military trials for 392 Dakota men. Some lasted five minutes. No lawyers. No translators. By November, 303 had been sentenced to death.

President Lincoln reduced the number to 38. On December 26, 1862, all 38 were hanged on a single scaffold in Mankato before 4,000 spectators. Largest mass execution in American history.

THE MARCH

Everyone else—the women, children, elderly, and men who hadn't fought—went to Fort Snelling.

On November 7, 1862, about 1,658 Dakota began a 150-mile forced march from the Lower Sioux Agency. The column stretched four miles. When it reached Henderson, a mob attacked with guns, knives, clubs, and stones. A baby was killed.

They reached Fort Snelling on November 13. In December, soldiers built a wooden stockade on the river bottom—12 feet high, two or three acres, more than 1,600 people inside.

THE CAMP

Conditions were brutal. Overcrowded. Poor sanitation. Measles swept through. Soldiers assaulted Dakota women. Civilians entered to steal and attack.

Over the winter, between 130 and 300 Dakota died. The estimates vary because no one kept careful count.

In February 1863, Congress abolished all treaties with the Dakota. Minnesota offered $25 for the scalp of any Dakota found free in the state. In May, about 1,300 survivors were loaded onto steamboats and sent to Crow Creek Reservation in Dakota Territory. Three hundred more died on the journey.

The Dakota were gone from Minnesota.

WHERE TO GO

Fort Snelling State Park (101 Snelling Lake Rd, St. Paul) The Wokiksuye K'a Woyuonihan Memorial "Remembering and Honoring" stands near the parking area, close to where the camp was. Trails lead to Pike Island, where the rivers meet. This is Bdote.

Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center Exhibits include the names of the imprisoned families.

Historic Fort Snelling at Bdote Renamed in 2017 to acknowledge the full history of this place.

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Price: $785,000

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Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Kunafa Cookies (Apple Valley)
Learn the secrets of Dubai-inspired baking as you and your child (ages 10-14) make pistachio, chocolate chip and kunafa cookies for $45/pair. Get baking.

State of the City Address & Reception (Burnsville)
Hear what's happening in Burnsville at the State of the City address at the Ames Center with a reception to follow. Tune in.

Growing Together Referendum Meeting (Lakeville)
Get informed about the 2026 Growing Together referendum at this community meeting and have your questions answered. Stay informed.

Lavender Pages Book Club (Farmington)
Join the inaugural book club gathering at The Lavender Barnyard for thoughtful discussion and connection in a cozy open-air setting on the lavender farm, $10 includes snacks and a handcrafted lavender mocktail. Read on.