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Randy Perkins speaks on 'The Battle of Big Mound' at Front Porch Chat.Randy Perkins spoke on "The Battle of Big Mound" at the first Front Porch Chat of the 2026 season on Sunday, June 7, at the Stutsman County Memorial Museum.Perkins related the events that led up to the battle, the battle itself and its aftermath as detailed in his recent publication on the subject.ADVERTISEMENT There was a lot of unrest in the Native American peoples as there was in the country as a whole, Perkins said.The country was in the middle of the Civil War, most of the military was involved in the East, and few resources could be spared to settle the unrest in the West.The Dakota War of 1862 was one of the primary causes for this unrest, Perkins said; it was a result of broken treaties, drought, crop failures, intertribal rivalries and the influx of settlers into the Minnesota territories.As a result of multiple events, hundreds of settlers and Natives had been killed, the Natives had been diminished and were either on reservations or had left for the Dakotas where there were still opportunities to continue their nomadic traditions of following the food (bison) and living off the land.The government was concerned that these Dakota bands would unite and return to the Minnesota territories.This fear prompted the Sibley and Sully campaigns to keep the Native bands under control and force them to assimilate into the “American” culture.The soldiers in these campaigns were mostly volunteers, poorly trained and unprepared for the rigors of military life on the prairies of the Dakotas, and knew very little about the Native peoples' culture.The site of the battle came to be known as Big Mound.It is located on the Missouri Coteau in Kidder County, north of Tappen.Perkins showed pictures of the site, which looks similar to many of the locations in western Stutsman County like Hawks Nest, Round Top and other elevations along that ridge of hills.The Natives had gathered there on a “buffalo (bison) hunt;” the entire band, including the women, children and elders would all participate in these hunts.Most had not been involved in the uprisings in Minnesota.The Sibley troops encountered the band there.Many of the troops had friends and relatives who had been killed in the Dakota War of 1862 and wanted revenge.In an effort for a peaceful settlement of the situation, Dr.Josiah Weiser, the expedition surgeon, had previous friendly contacts with some of the Sioux from Minnesota and wanted to greet them peacefully; however, during the initial contact, a Sioux warrior shot and killed him.The event initiated the battle in which many of the Natives, including women and children, were killed.In his book, Perkins includes some details of the Sioux plans, the military plans and the geography of the region, including its climate and ecology.There are numerous maps and other details of the role of the bison, and the effect of the loss of this resource on the Native culture.He also relays in some detail what happened to some of the participants in the conflict and has excerpts of some of their diaries.For some, the battle was an ending; for others, it was a beginning of a transition to coexistence between the cultures.The coexistence was not and has not to this day always been peaceful, Perkins said.It is, however, part of the history of the region and should be understood for what it was and why it happened.The book “The Battle of Big Mound” is available at the Stutsman County Museum, the Frontier Village and from the author (randperkins@hotmail.com).The Chat on Sunday, June 14, at the museum will be by Keith Norman.He will speak on “Jamestown in the 250 years of U.S.history.” ADVERTISEMENT