The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-03-04
LEGISLATURE WILL BE
ASKED TO PURCHASE
MEMORIAL

A resolution asking an appro-
priation of 500 or more for the
purchase of suitable marker to
be placed on the grave of Tu-
Kan We-Chasta (John Crooks) is
being circulated in Redwood and
Renville counties by Rev. j. G..
Larsen, former pastor at the Low
er Sioux agency.
According to Rev. Larsen the
resolution will be presented to the
state legislature by Representa-
tive H. M. Aune of Redwood Falls
after being signed by civic organ
izations in this and several nearby
communities.
Crooks, who is buried at the
Morton Mission cemetery, served
as an Indian scout for the United
States government in the upris-
ing of August 1862. He was the
father of George Crooks, 81 year
old Sioux now living at the mis-
sion.
He was born in Sioux camp
located somewhere in the vicinity
between the present cities of st.
Paul and White Bear Lake dur
ing the early part of the nine
teenth century ard his age at the
time of the Sioux uprising in the
Minnesota river valley was be-
tween 40 and so years AS a boy
and a young man he lived with his
band in the vicinity of the con-
functions of the st Croix, the
Minnesota and the Mississippi riv-
ers His last surviving son, Mr.
Crooks tells that his father often
related his experiences when as a
young warrior, he took part in the
historic battles with the Chippe-
was from the north who attemp-
ted to gain control of the country
around the mouths of the ST.
Croix and Minnesota rivers. This
protracted struggle was not final
ly settled until after the estab-
lishment of Fort Smelling as a
military post.
Like all of the young warriors
of his day, Tu-Kan-Ke-Chasta
married early. He was the father
of IL children. About 1850 he
moved his family up the Mime
sofa river to the Lower Sioux res
ervation and became a member of
Little Crows colony. The people
from the lower Minnesota terri
tory formed a band, or village,
under the leadership of Chief
Taopi which occupied the lard in
and about the site of the present
reservation. Among the members
of Taopi's band were two other
men who exercised a great deal
of influence and subsequent lead
ership among the group and who
also served as scouts for the
troops of General H. H. Sibley.
These two, Andrew Goodthunder
(Wah-Keau-Waste) and IRON
shield (Wa-ha-Chun-Ka) as well
as Tu-Kan-We-Chasta were
members of Taopi's council.
When the Indian department
began its experiment of making
farmers out of the reservation
people, it was Taopi's men that
were the most enthusiastic They
cut off their hair, wore white
mems clothes and titled the soil
under the supervision of white
farm instructors. Each family was
allotted a tract upon which the
government built them a brick
house. Tu-Kan-We-Chasta was
assigned a tract of land near the
mouth of Crow creek. Here he
lived with his family in August
1862 when the attack on the Low
er Sioux agency took place.
Sibley then engaged trustwor-
thy Indians, friendly to the whites
to assist him in putting down the
uprising.
Associated with Tu-Kan-We-
Chasta as Indian scouts were Wa
Yu-Skin (John Rose), Mah-Ki-
Ya-Wakon-Zi, Ce-Tah-Son, Pc
Pc, Andrew Goodthunder and
Iron Shield. OF these Crooks,
G oodthunder and Iron Shield are
buried in the Mission cemetery at
Morton. John Rose at Mendoza
and Mah-Ki-Ya-Wakon-Zi at
Hastings. The burial places of the
other two are unknown.
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