Gideon H. Pond House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Gideon H. Pond House
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The Gideon H. Pond House from the southwest
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 401 104th Street East, Bloomington, Minnesota |
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| Area | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| Built | 1856 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000296 |
| Designated | July 16, 1970 |
The Gideon H. Pond House is an old and important house in Bloomington, Minnesota. It's part of a special place called the Pond-Dakota Mission Park. This park also has the old Oak Grove Mission site, a cemetery, and parts of the Pond family's farm. This whole area is very important to the history of the Minnesota River valley, the Dakota people, and Bloomington. The house is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's officially recognized as a historic landmark.
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Who Was Gideon H. Pond?
Gideon Hollister Pond (1810–1878) and his brother Samuel came to Minnesota a long time ago. Their main goal was to teach Christianity and farming skills to the Native American people.
Starting a Mission School
In 1834, the Pond brothers got permission from Major Lawrence Taliaferro. He was an "Indian agent" at Fort Snelling, which meant he worked for the government with Native American tribes. They wanted to start a mission school near Bde Maka Ska (also known as Lake Calhoun). This was a place where a group of Dakota people spent their summers. Gideon Pond also began working on a dictionary for the Dakota language.
Moving to the Minnesota River
In 1839, a war started between the Dakota and the Ojibwa tribes. Because of this, the Dakota group moved to a new village near the Minnesota River. Gideon Pond moved with them. He set up a new mission along the river bluffs. This mission was active from 1843 to 1852.
A New Life as a Farmer
In 1852, the Dakota people were moved to a reservation further up the Minnesota River. This happened because of an agreement called the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. After this, Gideon Pond bought the land where his house now stands and became a farmer. He also served as a member of the Minnesota territorial House of Representatives from 1849 to 1850. This was like being a politician for the area before Minnesota became a state. Later, Pond started the Oak Grove Presbyterian Church. It was first located where the Bloomington Cemetery is today. The church building later moved to Penn Avenue and Old Shakopee Road.
About the Pond House
The Gideon H. Pond House is located at 401 East 104th Street in Bloomington. It is built from red bricks. Each room in the house has its own chimney. Gideon Pond lived in this home with his wife, Sarah. Today, you can visit the house during certain times.
