About the Pond Dakota Heritage Society

The Pond Dakota Heritage Society is a non-profit, member-supported organization based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The society’s purpose is the discovery, preservation, promotion, enjoyment and sharing of historical knowledge about the Dakota Native Americans, the Dakota Mission and early Minnesota settlements during the 1800s.

The members and friends of the Pond Dakota Heritage Society are particularly interested in:

  • the Christian missionaries to the Dakota, including Samuel and Gideon Pond
  • Native American history and culture
  • revitalization of the Dakota language
  • the contrasting cultural and religious viewpoints of whites and Native Americans
  • the natural history of the Minnesota River Valley
  • the U.S./Dakota War of 1862

There are a variety of great programs and events related to these topics. Be sure to check our calendar of events to find one that fits your needs.

2023 Officers and
Board of Directors

President: Paul Maravelas
Vice President: Stephen Osman
Treasurer: Ed Egan
Secretary: Tara Owens
Members at Large:
David Schelper
Candy Williamson
Jeff Williamson

Our Mission

To preserve the rich history of the Dakota and their relationship with early Minnesota settlers and Christian Missionaries, and to explore contrasting cultural and religious viewpoints.

History of PDHS

The Gideon Pond Heritage Society was formed in 1994 to develop programming at the Pond-Dakota Mission Park and the Gideon and Agnes Pond House. The name was changed to Pond Dakota Heritage Society and the organization incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2007 to reflect the significance of the relationship between Samuel and Gideon Pond and the Dakota community.

Find Programs and Events

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06 May
05/06/2023    
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Build a kid-sized log cabin during this free event! Assemble the pre-cut, notched timbers to create a four-foot-high frontier home. Learn from frontier building expert Miles Jewell about the ingenious joinery used to lock the log corners together.
13 May
Tour the house and learn about the Pond brothers who came to Minnesota as missionaries to the Dakota. At 1:30 p.m., drive to Hocokata Ti to tour this magnificent Dakota Museum created by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
20 May
Fashion a tenon with a chisel and mallet, drill holes with a boring machine, and make wood shavings . Watch demonstrations of 19th-century building techniques by Fred Livesay, a trained carriage builder and traditional woodworker.
27 May
Keeping children quiet during long frontier church services was challenging. Church Babies dolls helped. Make your own doll using a fancy, colorful handkerchief, and household items. Program and materials are free.
03 Jun
Try your hand at old-fashioned parlor games like Fox & Geese, Shut The Box, Nine Pins, Ball & Cup, Checkers, Marbles, and Jacob’s Ladder. Experience frontier fun and challenge your family to a friendly competition.
Events on 05/06/2023
06 May
Events on 05/13/2023
Events on 05/20/2023
Events on 05/27/2023
27 May
Events on 06/03/2023

About the Pond Dakota Heritage Society

The Pond Dakota Heritage Society is a non-profit, member-supported organization based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The society’s purpose is the discovery, preservation, promotion, enjoyment and sharing of historical knowledge about the Dakota Native Americans, the Dakota Mission and early Minnesota settlements during the 1800s.

The members and friends of the Pond Dakota Heritage Society are particularly interested in:

  • the Christian missionaries to the Dakota, including Samuel and Gideon Pond
  • Native American history and culture
  • revitalization of the Dakota language
  • the contrasting cultural and religious viewpoints of whites and Native Americans
  • the natural history of the Minnesota River Valley
  • the U.S./Dakota War of 1862

There are a variety of great programs and events related to these topics. Be sure to check our calendar of events to find one that fits your needs.

Our Mission

To preserve the rich history of the Dakota and their relationship with early Minnesota settlers and Christian Missionaries, and to explore contrasting cultural and religious viewpoints.

History of PDHS

The Gideon Pond Heritage Society was formed in 1994 to develop programming at the Pond-Dakota Mission Park and the Gideon and Agnes Pond House. The name was changed to Pond Dakota Heritage Society and the organization incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2007 to reflect the significance of the relationship between Samuel and Gideon Pond and the Dakota community.

2023 Officers and
Board of Directors

President: Paul Maravelas
Vice President: Stephen Osman
Treasurer: Ed Egan
Secretary: Tara Owens
Members at Large:
David Schelper
Candy Williamson
Jeff Williamson

Find Programs and Events

Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
30
1
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
18
19
21
22
23
24
25
26
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
06 May
05/06/2023    
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Build a kid-sized log cabin during this free event! Assemble the pre-cut, notched timbers to create a four-foot-high frontier home. Learn from frontier building expert Miles Jewell about the ingenious joinery used to lock the log corners together.
13 May
Tour the house and learn about the Pond brothers who came to Minnesota as missionaries to the Dakota. At 1:30 p.m., drive to Hocokata Ti to tour this magnificent Dakota Museum created by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
20 May
Fashion a tenon with a chisel and mallet, drill holes with a boring machine, and make wood shavings . Watch demonstrations of 19th-century building techniques by Fred Livesay, a trained carriage builder and traditional woodworker.
27 May
Keeping children quiet during long frontier church services was challenging. Church Babies dolls helped. Make your own doll using a fancy, colorful handkerchief, and household items. Program and materials are free.
03 Jun
Try your hand at old-fashioned parlor games like Fox & Geese, Shut The Box, Nine Pins, Ball & Cup, Checkers, Marbles, and Jacob’s Ladder. Experience frontier fun and challenge your family to a friendly competition.
Events on 05/06/2023
06 May
Events on 05/13/2023
Events on 05/20/2023
Events on 05/27/2023
27 May
Events on 06/03/2023
© 2023 Pond Dakota Heritage Society
© 2023 Pond Dakota Heritage Society