Lake Calhoun (used today, since early 1800s): After former Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, a passionate defender of slavery.
Bde Maka Ska or Bdé Makhá Ská (White Earth Lake): Variations of a name championed by a family descended from Cloud Man, the leader of a short-lived village at the lake.
Mde Maka Ska (Calhoun): Dakota language spelling favored by early lexicographers.
Mde Med'oza or Medoza (Lake of the Loons): Used in Warren Upham's seminal "Minnesota Place Names," published in 1920, referencing an 1881 publication (not citing a Dakota source). Considered by Park Board in 1800s but never adopted.
The Inland Lake: Cited by the Dakota in missionary Samuel Pond's 1893 book as a name used by the Dakota.
Source: Star Tribune research
