In the 1857 town plat of Frontenac, then called Westervelt, Wakondiota Park was designated as two blocks long and one block wide at what is now the Christ Episcopal Church site. When the town was renamed in 1859, the park was moved one block east, quadrupled in length, and merged with Delta Park. The Dakota word "Wakondiota" means "a sacred space created by the cutting of many trees," a name that suited the founders' intent for a unique natural open space set aside for generations of residents and visitors to enjoy and preserve.