Curt Eriksmoen continues the story of Gall in today s Did You Know That column. Written By: Curt Eriksmoen | ×
Gall as photographed in 1881 by David Francis Barry at Fort Buford, N.D. Public Domain / Special to The Forum
Up until 1863, relations between white people and the Lakota Indians, in what is now western North Dakota, were very good. Almost all of the Lakota interactions involving white people were with traders, trappers and occasional explorers or artists.
The only incident to be called a battle occurred in mid-July 1851, southeast of present-day Minot, and it was called the Battle of Grand Coteau. In the two-day standoff, one Metis hunter from southern Manitoba and an estimated 15 to 80 Yanktonai Lakota were killed.