In Mankato and North Mankato, sites of reconciliation and remembrance center on the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the execution of 38 Dakota warriors, and later efforts to promote education and understanding. Reconciliation Park stands on land sacred to the Dakota because it is the site of the 1862 execution, and it includes a white buffalo statue symbolizing the spiritual survival of the Dakota people and a memorial installed for the 150th anniversary of the war that lists the names of the 38 Dakota warriors hanged on December 26, 1862. Nearby are works remembering the war and its casualties, including a monument to the Dakota 38 and recognition of the Ho-Chunk, or Winnebago, people, who lived in Blue Earth County before being forced from their farmland in 1863 and relocated to Nebraska after the unrest that followed the war. Land of Memories Park recalls the Dakota gathering at the confluence of the Blue Earth and Minnesota Rivers and has hosted the annual Mahkato Wacipi each September since 1972, helping heal Mankato's association with tragedy and heartbreak. Other places in North Mankato honor Dakota heritage through Heritage Hall and Dakota Meadows Middle School. Dakota spiritual leader Amos Owen was instrumental in reconciliation efforts as co-founder of the Mahkato Wacipi in 1972, and his work is further honored through an American Indian garden at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Blue Earth County Historical Society preserves and presents the county's heritage, including Native American tools and artifacts and exhibits on the people, places, and events that shaped Blue Earth County.