Dakota

Based primarily on manuscripts in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, this publication presents the story of Dakota Mission work in southern Minnesota during the nineteenth century. The author reports in detail on the formation, establishment, and decline of the Dakota Mission, with much attention paid to the backgrounds and personalities of the individuals involved. The mission at Lac Qui Parle is emphasized, with chapters addressing the building of the station and its domestic life. A bibliography and chronology of events are appended.

This book highlights the activities and experiences of Dakota women at Little Rapids, a nineteenth-century Eastern Sioux planting village along the lower Minnesota River near Minneapolis. The author uses an individual artifact from the site, a carved antler awl handle, to tell the larger story. Numerous drawings and photographs illustrate the text, listing of artifacts and animal and plant remains are appended, and a source list is provided.