Making Marriage: Husbands, Wives, and the American State in Dakota and Ojibwe Country

Acknowledgments

I could not have imagined when I first encountered Margaret McCoy in the microfilm reading room of the University of Wisconsin– Milwaukee that many years later her story would give shape to the pages of this book. I had little idea of the adventure I was beginning; little idea, too, of how many people would support me along the way. This book is the product of patience, kindness, curiosity, and friendship , and it gives me enormous pleasure to thank those who have helped and guided me as I worked. The Alice E.Smith Fellowship from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin funded my earliest explorations of Joseph and Margaret Brown’s divorce, thereby launching this entire project. A grant from the Newberry Library/CIC-American Indian Studies Consortium allowed me to attend a Newberry workshop on Borderlands, where my research and writing greatly benefited from discussing my work with my peers under the thoughtful guidance of Ned Blackhawk.The University of Iowa’s Department of History supported my research by awarding me the Charles Strong Research Fellowship, and a Seashore  Acknowledgments 06Ack_Layout 1 5/30/2013 10:00 Page 141 Fellowship from the University of Iowa supported a year spent writing my dissertation. More recently, generous support from the Edgar S. and Ruth W. Burkhardt Fund for History, and funding from the College Faculty Career Enhancement Grant, awarded to Knox College by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, supported me in further research in Wisconsin and Minnesota and in time spent writing this book. I owe a great intellectual debt to my mentors who guided me through the early process of research and writing. Linda K. Kerber taught me the finer details of feminist theory, as well as the practical business of analyzing documentary silences to find women’s stories. I owe her particular gratitude for both showing and teaching me to write as clearly as I can. She has been an unwavering ally in all my ventures over the past fifteen years, and I am deeply grateful for that support. Malcolm Rohrbough taught me to sort through competing theories of what was West to craft my own sense of Minnesota as a distinct, important place. He was always a voice of calm and reason and taught me to take real joy in my work. Jacki Rand made me think seriously about what I wanted my first book to be, taught me to listen for the Native voice in documents crafted to fulfill some other end, and helped me think through some of the thorniest questions my research posed. Her good humor and energy were infectious. Lastly, Brenda Child, who first introduced me to American Indian history some twenty years ago, gave me the tools to begin this long process and has become a friend and colleague whose support I value deeply. I often say that my education began again when I started my professional life at Knox College. To the colleagues from so many other departments who have helped me think expansively about music, art, biology, literature, and more—Mark Holmes, Sarah Day O’Connell,  making marriage 06Ack_Layout 1 5/30/2013 10:00 Page 142 and Natania Rosenfeld chief among them—I am blessed to be learning from you every day. My colleagues in the Department of History have been wonderfully supportive of my research since day one and have cheered this book to its completion—Danielle Fatkin, Penny Gold, Konrad Hamilton, Mike Schneider, Emre Sencer, and George Steckley, I thank you for creating and sustaining the community we share. Numerous other colleagues have supported me through the writing of this book: thanks to Katie Adelsberger, Emily Anderson, Lawrence Breitborde, Diana Cermak, Gail Ferguson, Gina Franco, Lori Haslem, Claire Falck, and Malagi Roy-Fequiere. This book would not exist were it not for the help and support I have received from numerous archivists, librarians, and research assistants . I cannot say enough good things about the experience of researching at the Minnesota History Center—everyone, from the volunteer greeter at the door to the friendly team of research librarians who fielded my stranger questions with great aplomb, made me feel welcome. Debbie Miller was particularly helpful, and I am indebted to her astonishing memory, problem-solving skills, and constant good cheer. At Knox, the library staff have supported me in every way imaginable, and I particularly thank Laurie Sauer for helping me find obscure sources...