The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-16
DACOTAH CHILDREN
HER PLAYMATES
Sarah Ellison, Died This Week Minneapolis, Of
First White Children in Minnesota.

:; ssE rs - i z =
tons. Previous to the building Of
the Oak Grove mission house the i
brothers of both of them spent con-
siderable time at Lac qui Parle, as
they might be needed.
EARLY Home at Lake Harriet
The other missionary group in
Guided Rev, j. D. Stevens and family
and a niece, Miss Cornelia Stevens.
Mr.. Stevens chose for his station a
site beside the spring at Lake Har-
riet, not far from the Indian village.
He built a house and schoolhouse,
and in the fall insisted upon the Pond
brothers giving up their cabin at Call
houn and joining him. The Lake Cal
houn cabin was pulled down in 1889
to build breastworks, when the Da-
cotahs.. were living in fear of a re-
| massacre.
| After building the mission at Oak
| Grove, both Pond families lived there
for several years, UNTIL by the request
| of the Indians of iShak-pe's village,
near the site of Shakopee, and by
the advice of the Indian agent, Sam
uel Pond built new mission among
the ,Shak-pe band. During the treaty
negotiations in 1852, for the removal
| of the Dacotahs to reservation In
| the vicinity of Lac qui Parle and the
sale of their lands, Gideon Pond acted
i as interpreter, but was opposed to the
plan, for he and the missionaries gen.
orally disapproved of the govern
mental policy of providing annuities
on the grounds that they removed all
| incentive to civilization.
| When the treaty was concluded and
most of the Indians removed, the Pond
brothers decided not to follow them,
!! for they were apprehensive of their
i conduct when their natural rowing in
( cfi fc arc
II gathered together: where they could
act in concert and encourage each
other in lawlessness.
+ By their constant association with
the Indians the families had acquiredI
Il a greater ease in the use of the Da-s
cotah1 language than in their own, Da t-i
i cOtah and French being used chiehy.i
The family grew up associating chief!
ly with the Indians, until their res
moval after the treaty.
An Indian Girls Romance.
One Of the burial places of the In-,
dams was within sight of the Oak
Grove mission. There lived in the
family an Indian girl, Jane, grand
daughter of Chief Cloud-man, who
her mother. She grew up into a.
woman Of fine Christian character
and much capability. She married a.
white man and her sons are men of
prominence in wisconsin. Her cousin,
Nancy, daughter of an officer of the
fort was offered to the mission in the
same way by her mother, but her
grandmother interposed her claim ani
wished the missionaries to buy her.
This they refused to do and she CON-
tinued to live with her grandmother,
but picked up a god, deal Of instruc-
ton at the mission. She was high
spirited girl and disgraced her family
in their eyes by clipping with and mar
rying an Indian Of another band, who
paid no equivalent for her. In re-
venge her grandmother confiscated
her ornaments, which had been. lett at
the mission house. Il
The story of Nancy is especially ill-
{, teresting from the fact that she was
- the mother of-5Dr. Charles Eastman,
= the well-known Writer, physician and
q lecturer, who is, therefore, only 5threes
quarters Dacotah. 80
- Following the removal 5 Of the, In
" dams both of the Pond brothers took
!. Iup ministerial work .among5the rush OF
n new settlers who came ms Mrs. Pond
d died about this time, S53. The sec
\ ond Mrs. Pond was Mrs. bert Hop
e kins, who came to. Traverse Des Sioux
l. with the first missionaries there and
le whose husband was drowned. me
~ country around the missionary station
= was rapidly settled after~the remoVa
- of the Indians and a church was sooT
- organized. Mr.. salso held re
# ligious services in Minneapolis at the
:. home of Colonel Stevens and in 1885
% organized the first Christian church II
=, - Minneapolis. altho in q sense this was
= continuation Of the Presbyterian
- church organized at Fort Smelling II
- 1885, This is now the First Prespy'
:. terrain church.
i Zeal to the church aud devotion t
= it's interests was inherited by MI
II Ponds children and Mrs. Ellison was
l. Jealous member Of Stewart Memorla
s. church. Altho rather frail and TIT
n, weather was severe, she. went IL
$. church the evening she was taken III
rs Her interest in missionary work wa
vi deep sympathetic and appreciatlve, 10
s. she grew up in an atmosphere OF con
s. Germ for others and of self sacrlhce.
s. Mrs. Ellison had a large family, al
=, of whom survive her, Emma Wlisoi
n. Davis, Sarah Agnes Lyon, Mary Mar
&c garet Heaton, Esther Ella Edna PONG
t, James Ho1lister and George Poage ri
e. lison. The. family removed to Mime
t. anolis in 1873. Mrs Ellison wa
IN buried at Bloomington, where ne
s. father and mother lie.
=