On This Date in Minnesota History: August 23

August 23, 1862 – “During the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, [Breckenridge, Minn.], laid out in 1857 and named for John C. Breckenridge, was all but abandoned. Three men only remained behind in the hotel, and these on [this date] were killed by the Indians. The same day a mail stage was attacked near the town and its driver killed.”

“Guide to historic markers erected by the State Highway Department cooperating with the Minnesota Historical Society”

http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/BookView.aspx?dbid=25816&iid=dvm_LocHist010819-00006-0&sid=&gskw=

Marker reads:

Breckenridge

“Named for John C. Breckenridge, vice-president of the United States from 1857 to 1861, the town was laid out in 1857. On August 23, 1862, its citizens were warned that the Sioux Indians were planning a raid on the town, and most of them fled to Fort Abercrombie. Scoffing at the warning, three men - Edward Russell, Charles Battle, and Martin Fehrenbach - stayed behind and were killed by the Indians. After the Sioux Uprising, Breckenridge remained a virtual ghost town until 1871 when the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad reached here and ushered in a period of booming growth.”

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM92YD_Breckenridge