On an annual occurrence since 2005, Native American trail riders travel by horseback east from the Lower Brule Indian Reservation to the site of a mass hanging of 38 Native Americans in Mankato, Minn., which took place in 1862.
They make this trip during December to honor the men, women and children who were forced to march across the cold winter prairie either to the mass hanging in Mankato or to a large concentration camp of Dakota Indian families at Fort Snelling, Minn.
Shown here are 10 riders who traveled through Woonsocket on their annual trip this past Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 12. They should arrive in Mankato on Dec. 26.