• Threshing Crew Attacked

  • Location:


    Hawick, MN

The settlers of Roseville Township fled to Richmond when they heard of Dakota attacks in Kandiyohi County in 1862. When some time had passed without reports of Dakota in the Roseville area, nine men, John Hugh and Robert Blakely, Hugh Jones, O. Freeman, Smith Flanders, E. H. Bates, Peter Lagro and John Boylan, left Richmond to return to thresh their crops. They had worked for two days, threshing grain on their farms, without being attacked.

On Monday evening, September 15, 1862, the men went to sleep in the abandon houses. One of the men was awakened by the light of a fire in the next building. John Boylan stepped out to investigate and was shot and wounded in his leg. He dropped to the ground and crawled along the shadows to make way to safety of his companions. The attention of the Dakota was diverted by the horses and cattle and the nine men slipped away. They brought Boylan to Richmond. The teams, wagons and threshing machine were never seen again.

Where: This marker is located 3 miles east of Hawick on MN 23, then north ¼ mile.