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EXTREMELY RARE - STANDARD BREWING CO., MANKATO , MINN. TIN BEER SIGN on a wooden frame, circa 1900, 18"x26". Depicts the public execution of 38 Sioux Indians at Mankato , Minnesota , on December 26, 1862, as a result of the Dakota War of 1862.

Lithograph, by the Meek & Beach Co., Coshocton , Ohio , depicts three Civil War era soldiers at a table drinking beer and smoking cigars. Beer bottles are scattered on the wooden porch, and a sign hanging on the side of the building reads, "Drink Standard Brewing Co. Fine Beers, Mankato ". Cases and kegs of beer are on the grass. Off to the left the execution scene is being played out with 38 Sioux Indians hanging from the upper pole of the scaffold platform, surrounded by hundreds of infantrymen, cavalrymen, soldiers with wagons, and the general public. Printed at bottom is "THE EXECUTION OF 38 SIOUX INDIANS AT MANKATO , DEC. 26 TH 1862. FOR HISTORY SEE OTHER SIDE." Apparently t had been some printed information regarding the history of the execution attached to the back when the sign was first produced, but it must have gotten separated from the sign over the years and lost. We are, however, also enclosing some information from the Minnesota Historical Society and Blue Earth County Historical Society in Mankato - typewritten copies of old newspaper articles including pictures and some ads (all copies) regarding the beginnings of the company, and the history of the company.

The sign, for the most part, is in EXCELLENT CONDITION. It has some minor scratching on the picture, and some wear & spotting along the edges. When holding it at an angle, approximately four very minor dings can be seen, but when viewed straight on these are not noticeable. But, all in all, a unique sign depicting an important historical event.

A history of the events leading up to the execution: The Dakota War of 1862 between the United States and several bands of the Dakota People (Sioux) claimed hundreds of American lives. Eleven years prior, in 1851, treaties had been negotiated wby the Dakota Indians agreed to cede vast amounts of land in the Minnesota Territory to the U.S. , and to live on a twenty-mile reservation. They were to be given money and goods in return. The Indians saw very little of the promised compensation due to the corruption in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Besides this, in 1858, half of the reservation was taken away from the Indians. Losing land to white settlers, broken treaties, and food shortages that caused famine, led to mounting tension between the Indians and the whites. Chief Little Crow went on a rampage of attacks on white settlements, killing many people, sometimes for the purpose of obtaining food. Finally in September of 1862, the U.S. Army became involved in what became known as the Dakota War of 1862, engaging in armed combat that lasted for six weeks. More than 500 soldiers and settlers died in the conflict, and hundreds of Sioux Indians were taken prisoner. 38 Indians were found guilty of the rape and murder of civilians, and were executed on December 26, 1862, the largest execution in the history of the United States .

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