1851 N. Minnesota Avenue Saint Peter,
MN
56082United StatesGet Directions
507-934-2160
Traverse des Sioux park is located in St. Peter, MN, just off of US Highway 169.
Address
1851 N. Minnesota Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082
Parking
A free parking lot is available at the site.
Two disability parking spots are located near the Treaty Site History Center entrance. Unmarked parking directly next to trails.
General
Service dogs welcome.
There is no staff at Traverse des Sioux.
There are no restrooms at Traverse des Sioux. Accessible restrooms are available at the adjacent Treaty Site History Center.
For visitors with mobility disabilities
The main site trail is level gravel.
Locations to sit along the trail are available.
The Dakota first called it Oiyuwega or O-pta-ya-pi. Those coming after them would call the crossing Traverse des Sioux. The words in any language identify the natural bend in the Minnesota River where crossing was made easier in shallow water. The place lent itself to paths and later roads and gave its name to the site where cultures crossed and nations formed a treaty.
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, signed July of 1851, transferred 24 million acres of land and resources from two Dakota bands to the federal government. For settlers hungry for land and opportunity, the Treaty was the answer. For the Dakota, who lost much of their financial settlement to traders and had promised reservation lands taken away as well, the Treaty brought dramatic and often tragic change. Today, there is little to mark the site of this historic agreement that changed the face of the United States.