Prexy's Pond

Fjelstad Hall and Prexy's Pond, May 1982.

      Prexy’s Pond has always been a popular destination on Concordia’s campus since its debut in the early nineteen hundreds. There is very little to no information about Prexy’s Pond from 1906 to 1962. According to an interview with President Paul Dovre by Tara Reopelle in 1997, Prexy’s Pond used to be part of a coulee.[1] The coulee used to only be visibly present in the Prairie Home Cemetery and Concordia College. The coulee then ran through pipes which led to the Red River. In 1963, there was a discussion between the Prairie Home Cemetery Board and the City of Moorhead that the coulee should be filled in and gotten rid of within the cemetery and the college campus. Administration and many Cobber students were against this proposal.[2] According to The Concordian in 1964, a current student at the time, Art Monson, wrote “1. The bridge across Prexy’s Pond is going to look ridiculous after the ground has been leveled. Where are all of the homeless trolls living under the bridge going to go? 2 Where is the biology department going to get its specimens? 3. Where are beanieless freshmen going to be thrown? Have you ever tried dunking someone in a drinking fountain?”[3] This shows that Prexy’s Pond has a deeper meaning to fellow students and faculty than just a small body of stinky water located in front of Old Main.

           Between the two pictures, many things are the same but there are noticeable differences as well. The main difference with Prexy’s Pond is that the coulee is no longer present. The coulee used to run under the small bridge located between Fjelstad Hall and Park Region. Currently, the bridge has nothing running under it and the pond is just merely a pond. A fountain has been added in the center, but it is not present in the new picture. The fountain is on during the warmer months. Benches and picnic tables have been added to campus since 1981 when the first photograph was taken. Another major difference between the photographs is that many evergreen trees have been removed. The pond is also in a similar shape but is slightly different because the water is not being drawn to the coulee anymore. In the background, Fjelstad Hall is present and remains the same in both photographs.

            Since the coulee is no longer present, Concordia has had no reason to keep Prexy’s Pond but the pond has become a well-known and treasured destination on campus. The City of Moorhead must now have a more effective route for controlling water in the area.  Prexy’s Pond was a part of campus and continues to be part of campus, no matter what its purpose; to help with the city’s water system or merely to bring beauty to Concordia’s campus. Prexy’s Pond holds many memories that Cobber alumni cherish when they return to campus. Hopefully, Prexy’s Pond does not fade away anytime soon.

Essay by Kristin Luistro '16