Historic Preservation Issues on the Conveyance of the Former Bureau of Mines, Twin City Research Center

The Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community has some very significant concerns on the transfer of the Bureau of Mines land to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. We would ask to see the following items considered as conditions included in the transfer of land .

We would ask to have the whole Camp Coldwater area included in the National Historic Landmark /National Register District.

We would ask to see the Conservation Easement cover all 27 acres in perpetuity, and also that the site be managed by the National Park Service.

We would ask to have vehicle access to the spring for ceremonies and prayer.

We are concerned about the present hours of access which exclude week-ends and evenings. This is a place of worship and should be accessible for extended periods of time.

Fort Snelling has been preserved for white history. Very little has been done to acknowledge Native American history of the area.. Even the sign erected by the Minnesota Historical Society at Camp Coldwater does not mention anything about Native history.

Coldwater Spring is a Sacred Site to Native Americans, and especially to the Dakota people as the place where our Creation Story took place. Many Native American Elders from different nations testified at the State Capitol for two days about the significance and sacredness of the area. Their testimony can be found in the Berger Report written for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Should any of the buildings be spared from demolition, we would like time to create a Comprehensive Plan for the administration of a Native American Interpretive Center for the people of the State of Minnesota.

The metropolitan area has one of the largest urban Native American population in the country, and an interpretive center would give many of our elders a sacred place within the city to teach Native American youth and others about our culture and spirituality.