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Internment Camp, or Concentration Camp?

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Exactly what to call the 1862-1863 Dakota encampment at Fort Snelling is a controversial topic. In writings preserved from the period, the camp is referred to by many different names: the prison camp, the Indian camp, the enclosure, the captive Sioux camp, the camp at Fort Snelling, the camp and the prison, the prison compound, and the camp under military surveillance, to name a few. Considering the nature of the camp, a hostile environment for imprisoning non-combatants, it is not surprising there were so many names for this place. But perhaps today we can offer better perspectives for what this should truly be called.

Historically, the term 'internment camp' has been used to describe places of temporary imprisonment, of which this certainly qualifies. The term 'concentration camp,' on the other hand, has been used to describe places designed for permanent imprisonment and/or execution. The differentiation is somewhat difficult to assign in the case of Fort Snelling. Though the camp was indeed only intended to be temporary, hundreds of people died from starvation, disease, and even acts of murder by surveillant soldiers within its confines.

How, then, should we refer to the camp as it was? It appears to lie somewhere between these two definitions. However, it is a place where proclaimed innocent people were held, starved, and allowed to die simply for of the color of their skin. It was a place where the Dakota were forcibly placed, held in extreme concentration, and denied any form of rights. While they certainly were not being held for eventual state-sponsored extermination, it could very well be argued that due to the lack of attention and assistance offered, they spent each day awaiting their death much the same. It is for this reason that we chose to use the phrase 'concentration camp' for this project.

For more information on this topic, we highly recommend visiting the Fort Snelling and Guantánamo: Corresponding Histories, Disparate Rememberings project completed by fellow students at the University of Minnesota in 2014.

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  1. Education + Interpretation Matthew D. Frater