Henry H. Sibley the first Governor of Minnesota and shaper of the MN constitution, was once a friend to the Sioux. He was even rooted in Indian Policy that sought to preserve the land from "the grasping hand of the white man." However, once elected Governor, Sibley wasn't a friend to the Sioux at all.

History proves that during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, he approved death sentences to over three hundred men. He had even been told by Major General Pope to treat the Native Americans "like wild beasts" and succumbed to public demands for a mass execution, he states, "my heart is steeled against them, and if I have the means, and can catch them, I will sweep them with the besom of death." The mentality of calling the Sioux "them" infers that he no longer thought of the Sioux as people, but refers to "them" just the same as Major General Pope - "beasts."

Ultimately, thirty-eight prisoners were hanged in what is now, downtown Mankato, Minnesota.

Mankato, Minnesota is not only a place where the community recognizes and mourns those who lost their lives in the largest mass execution in U.S history but a site where a park named after Henry H. Sibley resides. Mankato and the rest of Minnesota needs to recognize the damage our ancestors have caused. This petition is to recall the Sibley name from the park. The Sibley name promotes the vicious acts that were done to the Sioux people. Holding Sibley Park and a reputation for the largest mass execution in history in the same town is not only offensive but contradictory to recognizing the mistake Henry Sibley made. Mankato needs to embrace it's origins in Indigenous culture and support the right side of our history.