From the Commonplace Book:

This term, we worked in collaboration with the Rice County Historical Society (RCHS) to create an orthomosaic of Teepee Tonka Park utilizing both thermal and visible light imagery. During our conversations with Jenna Nelson, the RCHS Curator, and Dave Nichols, the Executive Director, it was clear that the site of Teepee Tonka Park had a long history worthy of close investigation. Through the creation of these two digital maps, we aimed to provide final products that could be used in a number of different educational situations, whether that be in museum displays or online projects. Beyond the digital outcomes, we engaged in individual research projects to shed further light on the history of this location. One spatial narrative focuses on the Indigenous history of the Teepee Tonka Park area. During our initial conversations, it was mentioned that the park was the site of a temporary Dakota village in the mid-nineteenth century; however, it was clear that there was very little written concerning this aspect of Teepee Tonka’s history. On the other hand, the development of infrastructure around Teepee Tonka represents undeniable proof of the encroachment that took place in the area. The second spatial narrative focuses on the railway and bridge around the park, along with the purchase and development of the area in the modern period.

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