All Brown County Historical Society programs with fees require advance registration and payment. To make reservations, call us at 507-233-2621, or download the registration form linked here and return it with payment to the Brown County Museum at 2 N. Broadway Street, New Ulm, MN 57063.
Below is the full schedule of Dakota War Commemoration events
Select a tab to see the events happening on that day.
Tuesday, August 16
6:30 PM at the New Ulm Public Library
Colin Mustful: The U. S. – Dakota War of 1862: A Historical Context
Wednesday, August 17
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM at the Brown County Museum
Minnesota River Valley Bus Tour
Cost: $55
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM at the Brown County Museum
Walking tour of downtown New Ulm’s U. S. – Dakota War sites
Cost: $5
Join us for a walking tour of U.S. Dakota War sites in downtown New Ulm. Tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour.
Individuals wishing to take the tour must make pre-paid reservations; the fee is $5.00. Tour participants should meet at the Brown County Museum, 2 North Broadway St. by 2:15pm. The tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour. The tour takes about an hour and can be a family activity. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled.
6:30 PM at the BCHS Annex
David Nichols presents Bishop Henry Whipple
Cost: $5
Thursday, August 18
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM at the Brown County Museum
Milford Area Bus Tour
Cost: $22
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM at the Brown County Museum
Milford Area Bus Tour
Cost: $22
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Kiesling House
Kiesling House open for tours
Cost: $3/Free for BCHS members
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM at the Brown County Museum
Walking tour of downtown New Ulm’s U. S. – Dakota War sites
Cost: $5
Join us for a walking tour of U.S. Dakota War sites in downtown New Ulm. Tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour.
Individuals wishing to take the tour must make pre-paid reservations; the fee is $5.00. Tour participants should meet at the Brown County Museum, 2 North Broadway St. by 2:15pm. The tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour. The tour takes about an hour and can be a family activity. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled.
6:30 PM at the BCHS Annex
Theresa Peterson & Walter LaBatte Jr. present “Voices from Pejutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers”
Cost: $5
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM at the Brown County Museum
Walking tour of downtown New Ulm’s U. S. – Dakota War sites
Cost: $5
Join us for a walking tour of U.S. Dakota War sites in downtown New Ulm. Tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour.
Individuals wishing to take the tour must make pre-paid reservations; the fee is $5.00. Tour participants should meet at the Brown County Museum, 2 North Broadway St. by 2:15pm. The tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour. The tour takes about an hour and can be a family activity. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled.

Friday, August 19
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Brown County Museum
Leavenworth/Shetek Trail Bus Tour
Cost: $55
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM at the BCHS Annex
Dan Munson presenting “The Dakota War: A Numerical Review”
Cost: $5
12:00 PM at the Springfield Museum
Janet Timmerman presenting “The Shetek Trail”
Cost: $5
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Kiesling House
Kiesling House open for tours
Cost: $3/Free for BCHS members
2:00 PM at the BCHS Annex
Bryce Stenzel presenting “…We Cannot Escape History…, Abraham Lincoln’s Trials by Fire, 1862”
Cost: $5
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM at the Brown County Museum
Walking tour of downtown New Ulm’s U. S. – Dakota War sites
Cost: $5
Join us for a walking tour of U.S. Dakota War sites in downtown New Ulm. Tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour.
Individuals wishing to take the tour must make pre-paid reservations; the fee is $5.00. Tour participants should meet at the Brown County Museum, 2 North Broadway St. by 2:15pm. The tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour. The tour takes about an hour and can be a family activity. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled.

4:00 PM at the Milford Monument on Center Street
Wreath laying and tribute at the Milford Monument with the Junior Pioneers
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the Brown County Museum
Open House for “Never Shall I Forget: A New Look at Brown County and the U. S. – Dakota War” on the third floor of the Brown County Museum.
Cost: Free to attend.
In 2012, BCHS unveiled the permanent exhibit Never Shall I Forget for the 150th Anniversary of the U. S. – Dakota War. Now, for the 160th Anniversary of the war, BCHS has updated the exhibit with A New Look at the history of the war, its causes, and effects.
Saturday, August 20
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM at the Brown County Museum
Katie Gropper Downtown Walking Tour
This event has been cancelled.

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the Kiesling House
New Ulm Battery
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Kiesling House
Kiesling House open for tours
Cost: $3/Free for BCHS members
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM at the Brown County Museum
Walking tour of downtown New Ulm’s U. S. – Dakota War sites
Cost: $5
Join us for a walking tour of U.S. Dakota War sites in downtown New Ulm. Tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour.
Individuals wishing to take the tour must make pre-paid reservations; the fee is $5.00. Tour participants should meet at the Brown County Museum, 2 North Broadway St. by 2:15pm. The tour guides will tell stories of Dakota War events that took place at the respective sites included in the tour. The tour takes about an hour and can be a family activity. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled.

5:30 PM at the Defender’s Monument on Center Street
Wreath laying and tribute at the Defender’s Monument with the Junior Pioneers
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Turner Hall
Banquet at Turner Hall with keynote speaker Stephen Osman “Minnesota’s Own Civil War: The Dakota Conflict of 1862
Cost: $45
Sunday, August 21
1:00 PM at the Milford Monument at the New Ulm City Cemetery
Wreath laying and tribute at the Civil and Indian War Monument with the Junior Pioneers.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM at the New Ulm City Cemetery
BCHS Pioneer Cemetery Tour
Cost: $5
History will come alive in the Pioneer Section of the New Ulm City Cemetery on Sunday, August 20 with the Pioneer Cemetery Tour. The tour will highlight historical personalities of Brown County’s past as well as the funerary art and symbolism of various grave stones, weaving the history of New Ulm’s founding; together with stories of early pioneers and the tragedy of The Dakota War of 1862.
Individuals wishing to take the tour must make pre-paid reservations; the fee is $5.00. Tour participants should meet at the New Ulm City Cemetery maintenance building by 2:00pm. The tour will be set up in seven sections with guides interpreting each section. The tour takes about an hour and can be a family activity. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled.

Tuesday, August 23
6:30 PM at the New Ulm Public Library
The Battles of New Ulm: Chronological Narration with John LaBatte
