Minnesota Historical Society criticized for not closing Ramsey House next week to honor tribal history

For the first time since at least before the pandemic, tour groups will go through the Alexander Ramsey House in St. Paul on Dec. 26.

Tours of the historic mansion previously had been suspended on that date in recognition of the 1862 mass hanging outside Mankato of 38 Dakota men while Ramsey was governor.

Officials with the Minnesota Historical Society, which owns the 19th century house and 25 other historic sites across Minnesota, said tickets were sold for four Candlelight Christmas tours this year because new staff members were unaware of the practice of not conducting tours on that date.

Ben Leonard, the nonprofit’s vice president of historic sites, wrote in a statement that it has been “practice, but not policy,” to not hold programming Dec. 26. Leonard said the Historical Society’s officials decided not to cancel the Dec. 26 tickets and issue refunds, but instead, address “Minnesota’s complex history” during the tours.

“December 26th marks a very painful anniversary for Native American communities,” he wrote in the statement. “At the Minnesota Historical Society, we recognize the tragedy of this day and the generational impact of the mass execution and exile of the Dakota people from Minnesota.”

That’s not good enough, said Josie Bergmann, a tour guide at the Ramsey House for the last five years.

“It is deeply disappointing,” she said. “No. 1, that we didn’t recognize this error. And, then that it’s still going to go on. It sends a bad message. ‘We can’t cancel it. Let’s just hide it.’”

The Minnesota Star Tribune sent emails Friday asking Historical Society officials, including director and CEO Kent Whitworth, whether they consulted with Native American officials before deciding to continue the tours. None responded.

According to Minnesota Historical Society records, in a special session of the state Legislature in September 1862, Ramsey said: “Our course then is plain. The Sioux Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of Minnesota.”

Bergmann said other coworkers told her tours weren’t held on Dec. 26 for some of the years since 2012.

“There was a lot of talk [about whether to cancel the tours] over the past few weeks, but I don’t know what else went into the decision,” Bergmann said.