KUNU Escape on the Missouri Author:Kenneth Thomasma Kunu's story is one that had to be told. As a result of a Sioux Indian uprising in Minnesota in August and September 1862, the Sioux Indians and almost 2,000 innocent Winnebago Indian people were forcibly removed from their land. President Lincoln signed an order to have them taken out of Minnesota by steamboat and railroad cattle cars to Crow... more » Creek, South Dakota. Kunu's father was away fightin for the union army in the Civil War. The boy, his mother, his two younger sisters, and his grandfather wer part of a large group of Winnebago people herded onto a steamboat docked in Mankato, minnesota. It would take most of a month to get to Crow Creek. Some Indians would die in route. hundreds would die at Crow Creek. There was little food, no farming, and no weapons for hunting. Kunu's grandfather vowed to return to his homeland in Minnesota to die and be buried with his ancestors. Knowing they would be shot on sight if caught trying to escape, Kunu and his grandfather secretly make plans and preparations to leave in a dugout cottonwood tree. The two of them had thousands of miles of treacherous river between them and their destination. their trip is full of hazards, life-threatening events, and big surprises. Readers will gain a great appreciation of the Winnebago people and their struggle to overcome tremendous adversity. This story gives the reader a chance to travel the trail of these innocent people as they sought refuge from death at Crow Creek.« less