Lac qui Parle Mission is a pre-territorial mission in

Chippewa County, Minnesota Chippewa County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,598. Its county seat is Montevideo. The county was formed in 1862, and was organized in 1868. History Chippewa County was organized on M ...

, United States, which was founded in June 1835 by Dr.

Thomas Smith Williamson Thomas Smith Williamson (March 1800 – June 24, 1879) was an American physician and missionary. Williamson, the only son of Rev. William and Mary (Smith) Williamson, was born at Fairforest, South Carolina, Fair Forest, Union, South Carolina, Uni ...

and Alexander Huggins after fur trader

Joseph Renville Joseph Renville (1779–1846) was an interpreter, translator, expedition guide, Canadian officer in the War of 1812, founder of the Columbia Fur Company, and an important figure in dealings between white men and Dakota people, Dakota (Sioux) Indian ...

invited missionaries to the area. ''Lac qui Parle'' is a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

translation of the native

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, a ...

name, meaning "lake which speaks". In the 19th century, the first dictionary of the

Dakota language Dakota (''Dakhótiyapi, Dakȟótiyapi''), also referred to as Dakhota, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language. It is critically endan ...

was written, and part of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

was translated into that language for the first time at a mission on the site of the park. It was a site for Christian missionary work to the Sioux for nearly 20 years. Renville was related to and had many friends in the Native community, and after his death in 1846, the mission was taken over by the "irreligious"

Martin McLeod Martin McLeod (April 13, 1813 – November 20, 1860) was an American fur trader, pioneer, and territorial legislator in Minnesota. McLeod was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and had Scottish ancestry. He worked as a clerk in Montreal and t ...

. The relationship between the mission and the Dakota people worsened, and in 1854 the missionaries abandoned the site and relocated to the

Upper Sioux Agency Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

. The mission was reconstructed by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

in 1942 and is now managed by the Chippewa County Historical Society in partnership with the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehoo ...

Fort Renville

The Lac qui Parle Mission site is also home to the remains of Fort Renville, the fortified home and trading post established in 1826 by explorer and fur trader Joseph Renville. The fort comprised two dwellings and a storehouse, surrounded by a stockade and protected by a bastion and watchtower. Located a half mile from the mission site, the fort was a significant outpost in southwestern Minnesota, and was a stopping point for traders on the

Red River Trails The Red River Trails were a network of ox cart routes connecting the Red River Colony (the "Selkirk Settlement") and Fort Garry in British North America with the head of navigation on the Mississippi River in the United States. These trade route ...

. It fell into disuse after Renville's death in 1846. The site was excavated in 1940 and is now held in preservation by the

. It is not open to the public.

References

External links

Minnesota Historical Society: Lac Qui Parle Mission
{{Protected areas of Minnesota Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota state historic sites Pre-statehood history of Minnesota Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Works Progress Administration in Minnesota Museums in Chippewa County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Chippewa County, Minnesota Christian missions in North America Rebuilt churches in the United States