Among the Sioux: A Story of the Twin Cities and the Two Dakotas — John Shaqi
Among the Sioux: A Story of the Twin Cities and the Two DakotasCreswell, R. J. (Robert J.)
History
Among the Sioux: A Story of the Twin Cities and the Two Dakotas
Creswell, R. J. (Robert J.)
Dakota Indians -- Missions; Missionaries -- Great Plains -- Biography
In the spring of 1835, the Rev. Jedediah Dwight Stevens, of the
Presbyterian Church, arrived at Fort Snelling under the auspices of the
American Board of Missions. He established a station on the
northwestern shore of Lake Harriet. It was a most beautiful spot, west
of the Indian village, presided over by that friendly and influential
chieftain Cloudman or Man-of-the-sky. He erected two buildings--the
mission-home, first residence for white settlers, and the school
house--the first building erected exclusively for school purposes
within the present boundaries of the State of Minnesota.
Within a few rods of the Pavilion, where on the Sabbath, multitudes
gather for recreation, and desecration of God's holy day, is the site,
where, in 1835, the first systematic effort was made to educate and
Christianize Dakota Indians. It is near the present junction of
Forty-second Street, and Queen Avenue (Linden Hills).
In July, Mr. Stevens, and his interesting family, took possession of
the mission house. With the co-operation of the Pond brothers, this
mission was prosecuted with a fair measure of success till the removal
of the Indians farther west, in 1839, when it was abandoned, and the
connection of Mr. Stevens with the work of the Dakota mission ceased.
Here on the evening of November 22, 1838, a romantic wedding was
solemnized by Rev. J. D. Stevens. The groom was Samuel Pond of the
Dakota mission. The groomsman was Henry H. Sibley, destined in after
years to be Minnesota's first delegate to Congress, her first state
executive, and in the trying times of '62, the victorious General
Sibley. The bride was Miss Cordelia Eggleston; the bridesmaid, Miss
Cornelia Stevens; both amiable, lovely and remarkably handsome.
It was a brilliant, starry evening, one of Minnesota's brightest and
most invigorating. The sleighing was fine, and among the guests, were
many officers, from Fort Snelling, with their wives. Dr. Emerson and
wife, the owners of Dred Scott, the subject of Judge Taney's infamous
decision, were present. The doctor was, then, post-surgeon at the fort,
and the slave Dred, was his body-servant. The tall bridegroom and
groomsman, in the vigor and strength of their young manhood; the bride
and bridesmaid, just emerging from girlhood, with all their dazzling
beauty, the officers in the brilliant uniforms, and their wives, in
their gay attire, must have formed an attractive picture in the long
ago. After the wedding festivities, the guests from the fort were
imprisoned at the mission for the night, by a blizzard, which swept
over the icy face of Lake Harriet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account