Old Bets
Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of how recently historical figures lived. We become detached from their stories because they seem so long ago. For me, one of the things that erases that gap is photographs. And in one Native Minnesotan’s case we have LOTS of photos.
Betsey St. Clair, or Azayamankawin, became a famous figure in Saint Paul, known as “Old Bets”. As early as 1848 she was being mentioned in the newspapers. The Dakota were being pushed out of the area, their government annuities withheld, and they were struggling to adapt. Bets became known as a friendly beggar - gathering food scraps or asking for change. She made money rowing a canoe ferry between Saint Paul and Mendota. She took in washing. In general, she was well-liked because she was industrious, but she was also turned into a caricature and the butt of jokes.
After the treaties with the Dakota and their move to the reservations - the newspapers actually noted how much they missed Old Bets and other Dakota.
Although reported dead multiple times, Old Bets resurfaced in Saint Paul. She began sitting for photographers, who paid her in spare change. They then sold tens of thousands of copies of her photos worldwide. She became one of the most photographed native americans in country. She was so recognizable that they also published a song about her.
Meanwhile - her family was being torn apart. Her son, Taopi, had converted to Christianity and become a farmer. Her son-in-law, Round Wind, was a traditionalist and refused to adapt to white society. They fought on opposite sides in the Dakota War. After the fighting. Old Bets watched the trials in Mankato - Taopi was considered one of the “good indians” for helping the whites, but Round Wind was sentenced to death. On the day of the executions, he was spared when new evidence cleared him. Afterwards, Old Bets was forced to live with her tribe in the internment camp at Fort Snelling.
She resettled at Mendota and continued making the rounds, asking for money and doing small jobs in return. It’s impossible to know how much of it was her actual personality and how much of it was an act that she put on - skirting the boundaries between self-respect and survival. She was beloved, but also tolerated. She was treated like a clown, but she was also accused of being a thief. Harriet Bishop wrote about her in her book, Floral Home. While she printed her photo and called her “Aunt Betsey”, she complained that Betsey expected to be paid after using her canoe ferry. Bishop was happy to take advantage of Betsey’s services, but called Betsey an incorrigible beggar for expecting to be paid.
For years, Bets was repeatedly pronounced dead by the newspapers and her age vastly overestimated. 100, 110, 120 years of age - but rising from the dead again and again.
In 1873 - at the real age of around 75 - Betsey did pass. It is said that the newspapers had gotten it wrong so many times already, that they were hesitant to print another obituary until a reporter was sent to confirm it with his own eyes.
Old Bets lived a long and notorious life - threading the needle of white society and finding a way to survive. Her name was known by everyone, but still we do not know her final resting place.
Although it has been 150 years since Old Bets struggled between native traditions and the dominant white culture - looking at her photos, in her eyes, it seems like not so long ago.
