Everyone on the Washington County Board agrees there's no place in the county for a lake name like Halfbreed, considered an antiquated and offensive term for the offspring of European immigrants and Native Americans.
But a move by two cities to re-christen the body of water as Sylvan Lake is on hold, after commissioners learned last week that some local residents prefer a new name for the lake that takes account of the area's Indian heritage.
"As old timers pass, the history is going with them," said Sandra Moser of Forest Lake. "Let's not erase more history." She asked the board to consider Keewahtin Lake, which translates to "wind of the north" — the name given to a major lakeside road that itself once was called "Halfbreed."
The board decided to postpone the matter to May 9.
The lake crosses the border between Scandia and Forest Lake, and it was residents of the latter who initially petitioned to officially rename the lake as Sylvan, a name that is not only already in use among most residents but appears on some signs in the area.
As commissioners learned, though, the Sylvan name is seen by some as merely the invention of a real estate developer decades ago and one which has no local roots beyond that.
Pete Boulay of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who oversees the naming and renaming of the state's natural features, said state officials typically defer to the County Board. But in the end, he said, the state likes to see a name that people in the area truly use and can agree has valid roots.
"It's good to hear some of this history get flushed out," he said after listening to public testimony.
