Minnesota, Renville County, near Morton
![]()
Just before sunrise on September 2, 1862, the sharp crack of a warning shot signaled the start of the Battle of Birch Coulee.
One of the bloodiest battles of the U.S.-Dakota War was fought here. For a day and a half, this place echoed with the sounds of gunfire, the moans of wounded men, and the cries of terrified horses. More than 20 men and 90 horses were killed here.
Follow the trail to discover the causes and consequences of the battle.
How did Birch Coulee get its name?
Coulee is a French word for a deep streambed with steep sides, either dry or filled with water. Birch Coulee is in the wooded area off to you right, where paper birch trees were once plentiful.
Dakota people call this place tanpa yukan, or "place of the white birch."
Minnesota Historical Society
Birch Coulee Battlefield
(Wars, US Indian) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Just before sunrise on September 2, 1862, the sharp crack of a warning shot signaled the start of the Battle of Birch Coulee.
One of the bloodiest battles of the U.S.-Dakota War was fought here. For a day and a half, this place echoed with the sounds of gunfire, the moans of wounded men, and the cries of terrified horses. More than 20 men and 90 horses were killed here.
Follow the trail to discover the causes and consequences of the battle.
How did Birch Coulee get its name?
Coulee is a French word for a deep streambed with steep sides, either dry or filled with water. Birch Coulee is in the wooded area off to you right, where paper birch trees were once plentiful.
Dakota people call this place tanpa yukan, or "place of the white birch."
Minnesota Historical Society
Birch Coulee Battlefield
(Wars, US Indian) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.