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Birch Coulee Battlefield, Morton, MN

Photo: JonHarder, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sightseeing

Birch Coulee Battlefield

Minnesota Historical Society site marking a major battle of the 1862 US-Dakota War, fought over about 36 hours.

Jct of Renville Cty Hwy 2 and Hwy 18, Morton, MN 56270 · Morton, MN

About Birch Coulee Battlefield

Birch Coulee Battlefield near Morton preserves the site of one of the hardest-fought battles of the 1862 US-Dakota War. In early September 1862, a burial detail sent from Fort Ridgely camped near Birch Coulee Creek and was besieged by Dakota forces for roughly 36 hours until reinforcements under Henry Sibley arrived. Trails of packed gravel, about 3/4 of a mile long, let visitors walk the grounds.

  • #historic battlefield
  • #US-Dakota War of 1862
  • #Minnesota Historical Society
  • #walking trails
  • #free admission

What's around here?

The closest stops to Birch Coulee Battlefield, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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    Renville County Historical Museum

    Under $25

    Local history museum run by the Renville County Historical Society, with exhibits, photographs, and a research library.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

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    Transit: reachable by public transit

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  • Museums

    Yellow Medicine County Museum & Historical Society

    Check prices

    County history museum in Granite Falls with pioneer rooms, Native American displays, and a genealogy library.

    32 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Family Favorite

    Flandrau State Park

    Under $25

    Swim in a sand-bottom pond, hike to river valley overlooks and see 1930s stone buildings in a state park inside New Ulm.

    32 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota

    No admission fee

    Pull off in Darwin to see the 17,400-pound ball of twine one farmer wrapped by hand over 29 years, then visit the free twine ball museum.

    45 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Jolly Green Giant Statue

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    Pose between the legs of a giant fiberglass Jolly Green Giant standing in a small park just off Interstate 90 in Blue Earth.

    77 mi awayMore like this