Near Churchill in Chippewa County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Lac qui Parle Mission
Photographed By Connor Olson, June 29, 2021
1. Lac qui Parle Mission Marker
Inscription.
Lac qui Parle Mission. . “Considering how different all their thoughts are from ours and how unlike to everything which they have ever seen or heard would be the whole way of salvation, it is not to be expected that we could make them understand or believe much of what we would wish to tell them even if we understood their language till we have learned their manner of thinking and they have been convinced by our manner of living among them that we are their friends and speak the truth." - Thomas S. Williamson, Lac qui parle May 16, 1836
The Lac qui Parle Mission opened in 1835, a time when Dakota people remained in control of the region and their lives. The missionaries and their families were guests in a land that did not belong to them. The station closed in 1854, the year after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was ratified, leaving Dakota people a fragment of their homelands as a reservation within the United States.
This exhibit was begun in 2013-14 by students in a public history course at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, in collaboration with the Nicollet County Historical Society. It was finished in 2016 by Carrie Reber Zeman in conjunction with the Minnesota Historical Society. Made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.
Other Places, Other Stories , The Lac qui parle is part of a larger story. We encourage you to visit other places like the Lac qui parle Historical Society, the Chippewa County Historical Society, the Upper and Lower Sioux Agency Historic Sites, Historic Fort Snelling, Traverse des Sioux, the Renville County Historical Society, and the Pond-Dakota Mission Park.
Caption: Artist's conception of the original church at Lac qui parle by Wyn Greene, 1964.
“Considering how different all their thoughts are from ours and how unlike
to everything which they have ever seen or heard would be the whole way
of salvation, it is not to be expected that we could make them understand
or believe much of what we would wish to tell them even if we understood
their language till we have learned their manner of thinking & they have
been convinced by our manner of living among them that we are their
friends and speak the truth."
- Thomas S. Williamson, Lac qui parle May 16, 1836
The Lac qui Parle Mission opened in 1835, a
time when Dakota people remained in control of
the region and their lives. The missionaries and
their families were guests in a land that did not
belong to them. The station closed in
1854, the year after the Treaty of
Traverse des Sioux was ratified,
leaving Dakota people a fragment of
their homelands as a reservation
within the United States.
This exhibit was begun in 2013-14 by
students in a public history course at Gustavus
Adolphus College, St. Peter, in collaboration
with the Nicollet County Historical Society.
It was finished in 2016 by Carrie Reber Zeman
in conjunction with the Minnesota Historical
Society. Made possible by the Arts and
Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of
Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.
Click or scan to see this page online
Other Places, Other Stories
The Lac qui parle is part of a larger story. We encourage
you to visit other places like the Lac qui parle
Historical Society, the Chippewa County
Historical Society, the Upper and Lower Sioux
Agency Historic Sites, Historic Fort Snelling,
Traverse des Sioux, the Renville County
Historical Society, and the Pond-Dakota
Mission Park.
Caption: Artist's conception of the original church
at Lac qui parle by Wyn Greene, 1964.
Erected 2016 by Gustavus Adolphus College; Nicollet County Historical Society; Minnesota Historical Society.
Location. 45° 1.38′ N, 95° 52.074′ W. Marker is near Churchill, Minnesota, in Chippewa County. Marker is on 140th Avenue Northwest (County Road 32) near 1st Street West (County Road 13), on the right when traveling north. Located at the Lac qui Parle Mission State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Watson MN 56295, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2021, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 211 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 4, 2021, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
