Archaeological Dig In NW Iowa Uncovers Items Possibly From Spirit Lake Massacre

(Spirit Lake, IA)  —  An archaeological dig in northwest Iowa has uncovered some items that are possibly from the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857.  State Archaeological Director John Doershuk supervised the four-week project.  He says diggers found a gun flint that is exactly the type of weaponry that would have been used at that time.  About three dozen settlers were killed in the battle with members of the Dakota tribe.  Abbie Gardner was taken captive and released for a ransom a few months later.  One student found a silver dime minted in 1899 – about the time Gardner had moved back to the area to live.