Understanding Settlement, Industry, and Indigenous Presence in the 19th Century: Dakota Scrip in Nevada and Beyond

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Archaeological and historical background research can reveal previously overlooked historical events that could influence future assessment and management of heritage sites. In Nevada's George Whittell Forest, U.S. settlers and/or corporations initially patented several parcels via land scrip intended for mixed-ancestry Dakota individuals in Minnesota. Further research with patent records and other historical documents shows how the dubious or fraudulent acquisition of Dakota scrip in Nevada and other states figures into the wider history of U.S. and Canadian settler governments' interactions with Indigenous and Metis people throughout much of the 19th century. Subsequently, Dakota scrip can alter our understanding of more well-recorded history, such the Whittell's Comstock-era industrial sites. Individual sites' historical significance assessments should consider the role of less well-recorded events like the use of Dakota scrip, particularly when Indigenous sites with no recorded temporal markers are present in between and overlapping 19th century industrial sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow