Oahe Mission

Oahe Mission. . The chapel before you did not always sit here above the dam. The Oahe Mission, which operated the Oahe Industrial School boarding school from 1884 to 1914, was built five miles north on Preoria Bottom. The chapel was used for both worship and as a classroom. Other buildings included the Industrial School, the Riggs' home, and several outbuildings. The chapel continued to be used for worship services and Sunday school after the school closed. When the Oahe Dam was constructed, creating Lake Oahe, Peoria Bottom and the remaining buildings were flooded., Thomas L. Riggs, a Congregationalist minister, and his wife Nina founded the Oahe Mission to serve the Dakota Indians in what is now central South Dakota. Starting with the ABC primer, Dakota men, women, and children learned to read the Bible, first in Dakota and then in both Dakota and English. Later, it was taught only in English., In the 1950s, the chapel was given to the State of South Dakota during construction of the dam. The State Historical Society became responsible for the chapel's restoration and preservation. The chapel was moved to a temporary location in 1957 to avoid flooding before settling at its current location in 1964. In 1984, the Oahe Chapel Preservation Society was established to work with the state to maintain the chapel. The Preservation Society completely restored the chapel in 1988 and rehabilitated the windows in 2010., [Photo captions] , Oahe Mission c. 1915 from left, Oahe Chapel, school room and store house, barn, and Oahe Industrial School. , Students learning English at Oahe School in the chapel. , Students and their teacher take time out of class to pose for a photograph in 1907.