Sitting Bull statue to be placed at Benson Park

(North Mankato, MN) – The City of North Mankato announced Thursday that a statue of Sitting Bull has been placed in a prominent location at Benson Park.

The statue was donated to the city by area resident Jon Pluto, and was created by Thomas Miller, a locally renowned sculptor.

Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who resisted United States policies in the 1860’s.  He was killed at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in 1890 after a confrontation with police officers who attempted to arrest him.

“Sitting Bull’s contributions to United States history and the Lakota tribe cannot be overstated,” said North Mankato City Administrator John Harrenstein.

Harrenstein said Benson Park was selected for the site of the statue because it has recently undergone a major prairie restoration. Sitting Bull, he says, was known as a protector of the prairie.

The site will someday include two educational signs providing information on the significance of Sitting Bull and Thomas Miller, along with a history of the statue and how it came to be placed in Benson Park.