Gabriel Renville
1824-1892

Gabriel Renville, head chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, served as chief of scouts with General Sibley's 1863-1865 expedition against the hostile Sioux.

The War Department appointed Renville as head chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe in 1866. The following year, after Lake Traverse Reservation was established, his people elected him head chief for life. At Fort Wadsworth, he became a diligent farmer as well as chief of scouts.

Renville helped his people make the transition to reservation living without forsaking all cultural traditions. Indians and non-Indians alike respected him for his great mental force and integrity.

A more detailed profile is printed in Volume 10 Number 4 of South Dakota History, the journal of the South Dakota State Historical Society.