Zebulon Pike & The 1805 Treaty of Bdote: The Dubious Origin of Fort Snelling

In 1805, 26-year-old Zebulon Pike led a U.S. expedition up the Mississippi River to claim land for military posts and negotiate with Dakota leaders. What actually happened at Bdote was a rushed council with seven Dakota leaders, marks from only two, and an unagreed purchase price. Discover how an unsanctioned, threadbare meeting was retroactively weaponized by the U.S. government to build Fort Snelling, demand massive land cessions, and reshape the Upper Midwest.