5 Names Congress Almost Gave Minnesota (And Why They Failed)
These days, it seems that the state name "Minnesota" was almost written in stone. As if it's just always been called that, since the beginning of time. But, it might surprise you to know, the US Congress had a lively, back and forth debate on exactly what to officially call the 'Land of Ten Thousand Lakes'.
Before lawmakers settled on Minnesota, here were five other names that almost made the cut.
Itasca was proposed by Henry Schoolcraft (who coined the lake name by combining the Latin veritas and caput for "true headwaters"). With Lake Itasca being the headwaters of the Mississippi River, this choice seemed like a no-brainer for some. While the local connection was great, Congress passed on it once they realized "Itasca" wasn't a real indigenous word, but rather, just a clever, fake one.
This was a name that was advanced by East Coast congressmen who wanted a sweeping Native name for the what was considered the "Northwest Territory" at that time. Minnesotans rejected it because the local Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Dakota populations were not part of the eastern Algonquin linguistic faction. Realistically, this one was probably the least likely pick.
This one was proposed in the U.S. Senate as a prestigious "default name". It was dropped from the Minnesota bill though, because Congress was already eyeing the Pacific Northwest territory (which officially claimed Washington in 1853), and they didn't want two territories sharing the exact same name.
This one came close. Very close to becoming a reality. It was heavily debated in Congress during the 1847 bill to establish the territory. It lost momentum over concerns that naming the state after one specific tribe would deepen tensions with the regional Dakota populations, which were already high.
This was pushed hard by Southern and Midwestern Democrats to honor Andrew Jackson, who had died just a few years earlier on June 8, 1845, at the age of 78. However, anti-slavery Whigs (a party built specifically to oppose Andrew Jackson) refused. They wouldn't hear the idea of slapping the name of a controversial, slave-owning Southern Democrat onto a brand-new Free Soil state in the North.
So, there you have it. What do you think? Should they have gone with Chippewa, or did lawmakers get it right with Minnesota?
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Gallery Credit: Carly Ross