This cache is placed in a tiny memorial park on the corner of
Concord and Butler Avenue in South St. Paul marking the location
of
the camp of the Kaposia Indian tribe.
Kaposia is pronounced "Ka-POE-zha" (pronounce the last
syllable
like the "zh" sound in the word "measure"), and it is spelled
"Kapoja" in Dakota. It means fleet-footed (it could also mean to
be
just a bit faster than others, too, depending on the context)
and
was used in reference to the very quick lacrosse players the
band
was famous for.
The original camp was near Mounds Park across the river, then it
was moved to where the current park is, then it got moved yet again
after the Treaty of Mendota was signed.
The Kapoja site's main claim to fame is that it was the
birthplace of
Little Crow, also known as Taoyateduta (TAH oh-YAH-tay DOO-ta,
which means "his red nation"). It was Little Crow's actions that
started the
Dakota Uprising of 1862 .
The Dakota were angry because the government failed to honor
their treaty obligations, didn't come through with food and
supplies they promised to give to the Dakota as part of treaty
payments, and the Dakota were on the verge of starving.
It is a sad part of Minnesota history... quite a few people--
many white settlers, mostly Germans, were killed, and a lot of
Dakota people as well. The town of New Ulm was basically burned to
the ground.