Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2022
Haliestone Anna Josephine Makahdegawiŋ was born in 1830 in the territorial era of Minnesota.
The territorial era of Minnesota lasted from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to Minnesota achieving statehood in 1858, according to Wikipedia. The Minnesota Territory itself was formed only in 1849 but the area had a rich history well before this.
The area was called the Northwest Territory (1787), Indiana Territory (1801), Territory of Louisiana (1807), Michigan Territory (1818), Wisconsin Territory (1836) and Iowa Territory (1841) until it changed to Minnesota Territory in 1849.
The first half of the 19th century was characterized by sparsely populated communities, harsh living conditions, and to some degree, lawlessness.
This era was a period of economic transition. The dominant enterprise in the area since the 17th century had been the fur trade. The Dakota, and later the Ojibwe, tribes hunted and gathered pelts trading with French, British, and later American traders at Grand Portage, Mendota, and other sites. This trade gradually declined during the early 19th century as demand for furs in Europe diminished.
This era was also as a period of cultural transition. At the time the U.S. took possession of the region, Native Americans were by far the largest ethnic groups. Their role in the fur trade gave them a steady stream of income and significant political influence even as the French, British, and Americans asserted territorial claims on the area.
French and British traders had mixed with native society in the area for many decades peacefully contributing to the society and creating new ethnic groups consisting of mixed-race peoples. The Métis and other mixed-race groups were often regarded as French Canadian whites, though they were partly Ojibwa or Dakota Indians.
As the Americans established outposts in the area and the fur trade declined, the dynamics changed dramatically. The economic influence of the Native Americans diminished and American territorial ideology increasingly sought to limit their influence.
Large waves of immigration in the 1850s very suddenly changed the demographics so that within a few years the population shifted from predominantly native to people of European descent. The European Americans became settler-colonists in the land of the Dakota. The native and mixed-race populations continued to influence the territory’s culture and politics, even at the end of the territorial era, though by the time statehood was achieved that influence was in steep decline. Heavy immigration from New England and New York led to Minnesota’s being labeled the “New England of the West.”
Haliestone married Richard Washuidheya Allen in Flandreau, South Dakota. When Richard was born in 1834 in the territorial era of Minnesota, his father, Huntkaduta, was 44 and his mother, Wambdisunwiŋ, was 44. Richard and Anna had three children in 17 years, including Samuel Chahhdeskinyake Bluestone, Adam Puhameza Elk Bluestone, and Eli Bluestone.
Richard died in 1881 in Flandreau, South Dakota, at the age of 47.
Haliestone then married John Tudantoiciya Bluestone, and they had several children. Anna and John moved to Eagle Creek area (now part of Shakopee) in 1856. The Federal Census and the Minnesota Census show that they lived here in Eagle Creek, and the Scott County Plat Map of 1898 show that they were farming in Eagle Creek area.
John spent a lot of hunting, trapping, and fishing, often with a neighbor, Ed Gilkey. They both enjoyed the fun, and both enjoyed telling stories.
By 1900, John and Haliestone moved to Paxton, in Redwood County, Minnesota, where John died in 1904. He was 69 years old.
Haliestone ended up in Flandreau, South Dakota, where she enjoyed being around friends and family.
Haliestone Anna Josephine Makahdegawiŋ Allen Bluestone died April 24, 1910, in Flandreau, South Dakota, having lived a long life of eighty years.