The Minnesota Historical Society is closing its Alexander Ramsey House museum in St. Paul for the day on Dec. 26, to honor the memory of 38 Dakota Indian men who were hanged in Mankato on that day 150 years ago.
Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor and the state's second elected governor, was in office during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, which led to the hangings. Those hangings are considered the largest mass execution in U.S. history.
Ramsey once stated that "the Sioux Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the state," the Historical society says.
So, the Society says:
"In observance of the hangings, the Alexander Ramsey House in St. Paul will be closed Dec. 26, 2012."
The Historical Society offers tours of the house, which has been restored to the offer a glimpse into family and servant life in the 1870s.
The Minnesota History Center in St. Paul currently has an exhibit on the war. It will be open through Sept. 8, 2013.