NEW ULM — After a year off, the Dakota Riders are riding again for Reconciliation Park in Mankato, with an overnight stop in New Ulm.

From 2004 to 2022, members of the Dakota nations participated in the 38+2 Reconciliation Ride, traveling by horseback from Crow Creek or Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota in memory of the 38 Dakota men executed in Mankato, on Dec. 26, 1862, following the U.S. Dakota War.

Initially, 303 Native Americans had been sentenced to death. Abraham Lincoln looked over each case and reduced the number to 38. The plus two came as two more men were hung two years later.

The idea for the Reconciliation ride came from Lakota spiritual leader Jim Miller. He dreamed of a ride to Mankato from the Crow Creek reservation where the Dakota tribe of Minnesota was exiled after the Dakota. Miller’s dream was of reconciliation and healing.

The last reconciliation ride was held in 2022. It was the first to travel through New Ulm. Previous rides had detoured around New Ulm. A few months after the 2022 ride, Miller died of cancer in March 2023. There was no ride in 2023, but this year the ride has restarted under a new name. It is now called the 2024 “Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride.”

The Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Ride began Tuesday, at Fort Thompson on the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota. The riders first traveled to Wessington Springs and then Woonsocket, South Dakota. They are scheduled to reach Howard, South Dakota today and travel to Flandreau, South Dakota, on Sunday.

After two days of rest, the riders will enter Minnesota, reaching Pipestone by Wednesday followed by Slayton, Thursday, and Westbrook, Friday.

On Saturday, Dec. 21, the group will travel to the Jeffers Petroglyphs and rest through Dec. 22. On Dec. 23, the riders will travel through Sleepy Eye, and New Ulm will host them for two nights.

A small group of New Ulm citizens are working to offer the riders a welcoming stay. New Ulm Hosting Committee members Collen Hokenson and Marlene Ingebritson said around 50 members of the Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing riders will be spending the evenings of Dec. 23 and Dec. 24 at Turner Hall. The 30 horses in the ride will be housed at the Brown County Fairground.

Hokenson said the arrangements for the stay were all made in the last few weeks. In September of last year, she met Wilfred Keeble, one of the lead riders, at the St. Joseph School in Chamberlain, South Dakota. Keeble had mentioned being part of the Dakota 38+2 ride in years past.

Hokenson said she offered to help the group find lodging in New Ulm if they chose to restart the ride. A few days before Thanksgiving, Keeble called Hokenson and said the route would be coming through New Ulm.

In a short time, Hokenson and the rest of the hosting committee worked to find a place for the riders and their horses. To the delight of committee members, New Ulm was very welcoming.

Turner Hall agreed to let 50 people stay in the building right before the Christmas holiday. In addition to lodging, the riders will receive breakfast and dinner on both nights. The Brown County Fair board agreed to let the horses stay on site for two nights free of charge. Runnings has provided water tanks for the horses. M.R. Paving & Excavating is filling the water tanks. Brian Hillesheim is bringing in hay for the horses.

“People have been very generous,” Ingebritson said. “We’ve had such good support. It’s more than supportive. Everybody (we) talked to our glad this is happening.”

“Anytime I’ve asked anything, people have done their best,” Hokenson said.

There will be an opportunity for the public to meet with members of the riders on Dec. 23. At 7 p.m. after dinner, a special film screening will be held at Turner Hall. The film is a documentary about the Dakota 38+2 ride. The public is invited to attend the screening.

On Christmas Eve, the ride will resume, traveling south on Broadway directly through New Ulm and continuing on to Courtland. Though the riders will be passing through New Ulm on Dec. 24 they will spend a second night again in New Ulm.

Hokenson said the decision to stay two nights in New Ulm is an important part of the trip. The point of the ride is reconciliation and healing.

She said there is a lot of generational trauma tied to the U.S. Dakota War and what happened in New Ulm. Many of the past rides have bypassed New Ulm for this reason.

“That’s why this is such a healing thing,” Hokenson said. It is a chance to help with the healing process.

The hosting committee is continuing to seek donations to help with this leg of the Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride.

Ingebritson said donations of water, snacks, juice and other food items to help on the ride. The riders typically eat lunch while riding horseback. The committee will also take cash donations.

Hokenson said cash or check donations could be sent to her at Colleen Hokenson, 1248 N. 2nd Street., New Ulm, MN 56073 or sent by Venmo @malindqu4585. Turner Hall will also be accepting donations.

As with the previous Dakota 38+2 ride, The Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride will conclude at Reconciliation Park in Mankato, the site where the 38 Dakota were hanged on Dec. 26, 1862. The riders are scheduled to reach Reconciliation Park at 10 a.m. on Dec. 26.