Pond-Dakota Mission Park
and Gideon Pond House
Entranced with visions strange and new,
The 'wildering scene
amazed I scan,
As with a wild delight I view,
Nature unmarred by hand of man,
And though since then
long years have fled
And generations passed away,
Its memory dies not with the dead,
The record yields not to decay.
Adapted from: "An-pe-tu-sa-pa-win. A Legend of the Dakotas." As told by the Dakota-m'etis,
Joseph Jack Fraser or E-tai-muzzah (Iron Face), to missionary Samuel W. Pond, Oak Grove, 1850
(Pond 1893:156, 273-274).
401 East 104th Street
Between Nicollet and Portland Avenues
Welcome to Pond-Dakota Mission Park, the site of the historic Oak Grove Mission and the 1856
Gideon and Agnes Pond House, pictured to the right. Missionaries to the Dakota Indians
and farmers and ministers in Bloomington, Gideon and brother Samuel had their roots in
Washington, Connecticut. Young Gideon worked as a carpenter and a farmer, and Samuel as a
clothier and teacher. During the "Great Awakening," one of the 19th century spiritual revivals
in America, the brothers heard the call to give their lives to God's service. Their journey led
them to Minnesota in 1834 where they served as farming instructors and missionaries to Chief
Cloud Man's band of Dakota Indians at Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. In 1843 the
brothers followed Cloud Man to the Minnesota River bluff location where they founded the Oak
Grove Mission.
Explore this park year-round to learn more about the life and times of Gideon and Samuel Pond,
the Dakota people and the missionaries who worked with the Dakota people during the
mid-nineteenth century. Step back in time at the Gideon and Agnes Pond House and see what life
was like in early Bloomington.
Hours
-
Every Sunday from 1:30 - 4 p.m.
Admission
-
Free for everyone, unless otherwise noted.
Additional information
Interpretive signage
Pond-Dakota Mission Park, on the site of the 1840s Oak Grove Mission, is one of the most
significant early historical sites in the state and includes the location of one of Minnesota's
oldest existing houses, the Gideon and Agnes Pond House. Interpretive signage throughout the
park tells the story of the area's history.
Educational programs and events schedule
Please join us for one of the many fun and educational programs held in the house and park
throughout the year.
The schedule is subject to change. For last-minute changes or cancellations, call the 24-hour
hotline at 952-563-8878.
For more information, contact:
Mark Morrison, Recreation Supervisor
PH: 952-563-8693, TTY: 952-563-8740, FAX: 952-563-8715
E-mail: artsintheparks@ci.bloomington.mn.us
Pond HOME |
Signage intro |
River valley |
Dakota life |
Landscapes |
Missionaries |
Missions |
Oak Grove |
House |
Timeline
|
