Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Bjoertvedt via Wikipedia
The largest lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota is named for former Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, who was the architect of the first Indian removal in the 1820s. The connection to a negative historical figure has prompted tribal members to restore the Dakota name for the lake, which is part of a city park. They want it to be known as Bde Maka Ska, or White Earth Lake. “I see it as a name reclamation,” Kate Beane, a member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe whose ancestors were forced to leave Minnesota and relocate in South Dakota, told The Minneapolis Star Tribune. “It’s a recognition of the name we gave this space as the original settlers who lived here far longer.” Beane and two other Dakota descendants sit on an advisory panel for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. They are hoping to gain support for renaming the lake and for highlighting the efforts of Cloud Man, a Dakota leader who established settlements in the area. He died as a prisoner of war in 1863 following the 1862 Dakota Conflict. Get the Story:
Dakota descendants seek new name, reclaimed history at Calhoun (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 9/1)
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