Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2020
In 1852 a small settlement called Holmes Landing, later called Shakopee, was located here. And in the same area were 600 Dakota Indians who lived here on the south side of the Minnesota River near Memorial Park.
And on the north side of the Minnesota river, a woman was waking up.
She was not a squaw. She was a woman.
She was not a redskin. She was a proud Eastern Dakota woman.
She did not just arrive. She was here first. The Dakota lived here since late 1600s.
She was not shy. Dakota women held mutual respect. In fact, compared to many European American women at that time, this woman was highly regarded.
She was working. She was out one early morning, finding twigs and branches to build a fire.
But people in Shakopee did not know her name. Like so many women at this time, her name was not recorded. Her name was not passed down in stories.
But people still remember.
Henry Marcoe arrived on a steamboat in 1852 and soon claimed the land in which the woman was collecting wood. Marcoe shot the woman. The gun was loaded, and the whole charge shot into the calf of the Dakota woman’s leg. The woman dropped her bundle of wood, drew a knife, and turned on him. But before she could stab him, Marcoe struck at the shoulder of the Dakota woman, breaking her collar bone.
The Dakota woman was in pain. She screamed loudly. The Dakota men and women ran to assist her.
As for Henry Marcoe? He ran to his cabin and locked his door.
The Dakota husband could have taken vengeance on Henry. Instead, the Dakota husband came across the river and conferred with Thomas A. Holmes. He sent word to the commander at Fort Snelling, and a squad of soldiers were sent to Prairieville and arrested Marcoe. He was taken to Fort Snelling where he was imprisoned for six months.
Then Marcoe was let go. He needed to move out of Minnesota Territory. He came back to Holmes Landing (Shakopee), straightened up his affairs, and left the area.
The Dakota woman was strong, but she was in pain. And when that happened, Melinda Perry Apgar decided to do something about it.
In October of 1852, Melinda, along with her husband, Captain Samuel Apgar, and six other children arrived in Holmes Landing from New York. Melinda Perry and Samuel Apgar married on September 26, 1824, and they had 10 children. Four of the children died and were buried in Peruville Cemetery, Groton Village, in Tompkins County, New York.
Melinda and family arrived about a year after Melinda’s son, Daniel, arrived in the fall of 1851.
Melinda and Samuel kept a small house for travelers in 1852 in Holmes. It was the cabin that Thomas A. Holmes and friends built before he built the bigger building next door. In 1852, Melinda was one of four white women in the settlement (the other three were her daughter and two daughters-in-law).
When the Dakota woman was shot, Melinda heard what happened. She knew what she should do. While none of the white men in the village did anything, the elder Melinda took responsibility to properly care for the wounded Dakota woman.
Dakota women, of course, collected medicine plants, including hutkan (ginseng), sinkpa tawatne (bitterroot), and pejuta ska (lady’s slipper). They could and did help the Dakota woman. But it was nice, also, to have the help of the 44-year-old Melinda.
Melinda visited the Dakota woman often and administered remedies and delicate food.
She slowly helped the Dakota woman get better.
The Dakota woman, once well, frequently brought Melinda and family a generous share of the day’s hunt for her kindness.
Melinda Perry Apgar, who was born on January 24, 1808, died on June 24, 1874, at age 68. She is buried at Valley Cemetery in Shakopee.
Captain Samuel Apgar, who was born on October 26, 1801, died on October 3, 1884. He was buried next to his wife at Valley Cemetery.
In Shakopee there is a street named Apgar, probably for Melinda’s son. But it was Melinda Perry Apgar who really should be noted. She was concerned about others, and not just about herself!