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Alexander Ramsey's granddaughters donated this coat to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1943. Coats of this era and construction method are rare. The Ramsey family probably preserved it because of its link to Minnesota history.
The records do not say who made it, where it was from, how it was used, or why it was saved. Maybe Ramsey received it from the Métis in 1851 when he supported their interests in the Pembina treaty, which Congress later failed to approve. Or he may have acquired it while negotiating the Treaty of 1851 with the Dakota at Traverse des Sioux. Unless new facts come to light, we may never know.
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