The Chippewa Treaty at the Old Crossing of Red Lake River.

From the 1840's to the 1870's thousands of two wheel ox carts came and went from St. Paul Minnesota to the Red River Colony (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). They carried badly needed trade goods through forested and swampy areas of north western Minnesota. The route used between St. Paul and Winnipeg became known as the "Woods Trail" because of the forested area south of Detroit Lakes. Locally the trail is called the Pembina Trail. The more westerly trail along the Red River of the North was dangerous because of attacks by the Dakota Sioux, so ox cart drivers began using the Woods Trail which was in an area controled by the Ojibwe then known as the Chippewa. In 1863, the lands in Northwestern Minnesota belonging to the Ojibwe were ceded to the United States at Hout, Minnesota.

The Red Lake Band and the Pembina Band of Ojibwe signed away their ownership to over 5,000,000 acres of very fertile lands of the Red River Valley land extending 30 miles on each side of the Red River of the North. This was the sixth session of land in Minnesota by the Ojibwe and it opened up homesteading after the Civil War primarily as a reward to the displaced veterans who had served the Union Forces. There was also pressure from an influx of immigrants from northern European countries looking for land.

The treaty was misrepresented to the Ojibwe bands with some show of force as a needed route for trade and travel and not as a land grab. Episcopal Bishop Henry Whipple stated sometime after the treaty was signed that the treaty was "from beginning to end a fraud...".

Thief River and Chief Mons-o-mo (Chief Moose Dung)

City of Thief River makes changes to cover up Name??????

This has been bothering me for some time and I have questions that I cannot find answers for and I hope someone who sees this may post an answer. I love history and I love Native American history and with great respect for those who have passed before us I would like to shed light on something that maybe is not quite accurate. The picture on the left according to what is written on the base of the Statue is of Chief Red Robe. Now Chief (Mis-co-co-noy-a) Red Robe was a real Chief and the Picture the writing on the statue base is correct, but the likeness is of Chief Mons-o-mo (Chief Moose-dung, translated). This name unfortunately brings giggles to small minded people. I have no idea why he had such a name but the culture of Natives Americans and other in that time period was different than today. The reason I know this is the likeness of Chief Mons-0-mo is because the statue was modeled after the photograph shown below which is of Chief Mons-o-mo.

There is also another photo that I found that was scanned from a post card that dates maybe back to the 50's or 60's. I am not certain of this time period or where this statue was at in the City of Thief River Falls when the photo was taken, but it certainly was a different color. What ever the reason prudishness or political correctness this should corrected out of respect for those involved, but I doubt it ever will.

The Statue of Chief Red Robe can be found just south of the Red Lake River Fishing Pier off of Highway 1 near Northland Community Technical College in a very nice park at the point where the Thief River joins the Red Lake River. It is worth the time to stop and take a look.