St. Cloud Times – A distant lawnmower buzzed, a kid pedaled his bike in lazy circles in the middle of the street, a St. Cloud State University archaeological dig went largely unnoticed.
But what turns up in this tucked-away backyard two blocks from the city park could shed light on the 1862 version of a community panic room.
When the U.S.-Dakota War set settlers on edge in the fall of 1862, historical sources indicate a stockade encircled the log hotel that occupied Lot 12, Section 45. The hotel later became a grocery store. Today, it’s a house owned by a 70-year-old concessionaire who makes a living selling cheese curds, funnel cakes and deep-fried Oreos.
A half-dozen such forts once existed in Stearns County; about 50 went up throughout Central Minnesota. Yet next to nothing is known about them — or how effective they might have been under attack.
“Were these forts in the truest sense of the word? Were they defensive, military type structures?” said Rob Mann, the St. Cloud State anthropology professor who led this summer’s two-week dig.
