🌤 Weather at Camp Release State Monument by season
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–69 °F | 56–82 °F | 21–74 °F | 2–28 °F |
Each range runs from the coldest monthly average low to the warmest monthly average high in that season (1991-2020 climate normals), measured at Montevideo 1SW, 0 mi away, elevation 990 ft. Conditions at the park can differ from the station, especially where elevation differs — check a forecast before you go.
🏆 U.S.-Dakota War Site — Granite obelisk dedicated in 1894 where 269 captives were released on September 26, 1862, near Montevideo
Camp Release State Monument is a six-acre memorial site on U.S. Highway 212/59 just west of Montevideo, in Camp Release Township, Lac qui Parle County. Since 2007 it has been owned by the City of Montevideo, which lists it as Camp Release State Memorial Wayside Rest; it is not part of Minnesota’s state park system. The site marks the Wahpeton Dakota village of Red Iron, where Dakota opposed to the war held captives safe, and where Colonel Henry H. Sibley’s troops arrived on September 26, 1862. In the following days 269 captives were released, 107 whites and 162 people of mixed descent, most of them women and children (Kenneth Carley, quoted in the MnDOT historic roadside inventory).
Visitor Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | South side of U.S. Highway 212/59, just west of Montevideo, Lac qui Parle County, MN |
| Size | 6 acres |
| Entry Fee | Free |
| Monument | Granite obelisk, 50 to 55 feet tall, dedicated July 4, 1894 |
| Managed by | City of Montevideo (since 2007) |
| Former Name | Camp Release State Memorial Wayside |
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at Camp Release?
Red Iron’s village did not take part in the U.S.-Dakota War, and Dakota opposed to the war brought captives there. Red Iron’s people dug rifle pits around the camp to defend them against Little Crow’s men, but after Little Crow’s defeat at Wood Lake the camp was not attacked. Sibley’s army entered the camp on the afternoon of September 26, 1862, and the camp was renamed Camp Release. By the end of October 1862, more than 2,000 Dakota were under Sibley’s charge at the site.
What caused the U.S.-Dakota War?
Late annuity payments promised in the 1851 treaties, missing agricultural aid and the limits of reservation life left many Dakota hungry and distrustful, while settlers occupied their former lands. In August 1862 Dakota soldiers attacked settlements in the Minnesota River Valley. The war lasted only a few weeks, about 500 settlers and soldiers died, and the Dakota population in Minnesota fell from more than 7,000 to 374 by 1866 (historians Rubenstein and Woolworth, quoted in the MnDOT inventory).
Make it a road trip: Pair a visit with Lac Qui Parle State Park (a short drive away).
🪶 Visit Camp Release State Monument
Location and park details from the City of Montevideo, which owns the site.
About Camp Release State Monument
On April 24, 1889, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $500 for about ten acres of land on the site, and the granite obelisk was dedicated on July 4, 1894, in the presence of former governor Alexander Ramsey and survivors of the war. Camp Release is one of 23 state monuments the legislature erected between 1873 and 1929. It later served as a state wayside rest, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1973, and was renamed Camp Release State Monument by the legislature the same year. MnDOT took it over in 1973 and transferred it to the City of Montevideo by quit claim deed on February 8, 2007.
Things to Do
Read the inscriptions on the obelisk: one side lists six battles of 1862 (Redwood, Fort Ridgely, New Ulm, Birch Coulee, Fort Abercrombie and Wood Lake), another the release of the 269 captives. North of the obelisk stands a metal marker from 1989 about Red Iron’s village. Southeast of the monument, a segment of the entrenchment dug by Sibley’s troops in 1862 is still visible.
Insider Tips
Read the monument critically: The 1894 inscription reflects the view of its time and calls the war the “Great Sioux Indian Massacre”; the MnDOT inventory recommends adding interpretation that tells the story in a culturally sensitive way. Access: The site lies directly off Highway 212 on its south side; watch for the turn just west of Montevideo.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round: A short, quiet stop on Highway 212. September 26: The anniversary of the release of the captives. Summer and fall: Combine the visit with Lac Qui Parle State Park and other sites of the U.S.-Dakota War in the Minnesota River Valley.
Wildlife & Nature
The grounds keep their formal memorial layout: mown grass, mature pine, spruce and ash north of the obelisk, and an open area to the south that served as the infantry parade ground.
Nearby Attractions
Montevideo — directly east. Lac Qui Parle State Park — a short drive northwest. Birch Coulee Battlefield and Historic Fort Ridgely — further sites of the U.S.-Dakota War down the Minnesota River Valley.
