Acton Incident

The Acton Incident also called the Acton Massacre was a mass killing of five civilians in Acton Township in Meeker County which was perpetrated by several Dakota men and was one of several contributing factors which led to the early stages of the Dakota War of 1862.

The events which led up to the incident predate the event by several decades. Several land cession treaties signed by the Dakota including the Treaty of Mendota, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, and the Treaty with the Sioux, 1858 all effectively ended Dakota land rights in Minnesota and established both the Upper Sioux Agency and Lower Sioux Agency along the Minnesota River where the Dakota would be mandated to live.^[1]

The treaties themselves brought with them corrupt traders and Indian agents such as Thomas J. Galbraith and Andrew Myrick who cared little for the welfare of those on the agencies, so long as they were paid for their expenditures.^[2][3] In desperation, it was not uncommon for the Dakota to hunt off of agency land in order to supplement their measly rations given to them by the Minnesota state government. A winter blizzard paired with a summer crop failure during the summer of 1862 led to mass starvation on both agencies, in desperation many Dakota sought out any food they could acquire.^[4][5]

On August 17, 1862, four Dakota men from the Lower Sioux Agency came upon the settlement at Acton. Hungry, and desperate for food, some of the Dakota stole eggs from a local farmer, Robinson Jones.^[6] Several of the Dakota argued that they should not steal Jones's eggs as they were considered his property and instead ask his permission in order to satiate their hunger.^[6][7]

One of the Dakota men who refused to steal was coerced by his companions to kill Jones in order to prove that he was not afraid of a White man.^[6] The result was that the Dakota ended up killing five total civilians from Acton: farmer Robinson Jones, Ann Baker, Howard Baker, Viranus Webster, and a young girl, Clara D. Wilson.^[6][8]

Following the Acton Incident, the four men fled to their village at Rice Creek to tell their leaders what they had done, one of these leaders was Little Crow who greatly disapproved of their actions.^[6]

Two historical markers exist near Grove City, Minnesota. The first marker was erected on August 17, 1909 on the 47th anniversary of the incident by the state of Minnesota. The 1909 marker is located in the Ness Cemetery in Acton Township, Meeker County, Minnesota lists the five victims of the attacks along with the dedication date.^[9][8] The second historical marker was erected in 2012 by Minnesota Historical Society commemorating the incident.^[10]

A dramatized and graphic scene in the 1972 Swedish film The New Land depicts the Acton Incident and the opening of the Dakota Uprising.