Plymouth chooses Chankahda Trail as new name for County Road 47

Plymouth has landed on Chankahda Trail as the new name for the portion of County Road 47 that passes through the west metro suburb.

The name is a Dakota word that loosely translates to "near the woods," and was chosen to honor the people who first inhabited the area.

It's not common to give long-established roads new names, but in the case of County Road 47, it was necessary. Plymouth inherited the winding and hilly two-lane road, which passes four miles through the northern part of the city, from Hennepin County. With the road now under city jurisdiction, "County Road 47" had to go.

The city in February asked residents for name ideas. More than 1,200 suggestions arrived at City Hall, with overwhelming support to honor the Dakota, said Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Tomlinson.

A group composed of historians, educators and a Dakota elder reviewed historic maps and examined the Dakota history in Hennepin County. Group members drove and walked the road and consulted with Dakota linguists to settle on Chankahda (pronounced Chan-KAH-da).

Chankahda is also the name of a man who was wrongfully hanged in Mankato at the end of the Dakota War of 1862, despite having saved the life of a white woman, according to some historical accounts.

"Chankahda bridges history and future, community and culture, and preservation and progress," research group member Ted Hoshal told the City Council during its Aug. 16 meeting. "One stood out from the rest. The name fit well."

"Chankahda is not that hard to say," said Audrey Britton, a resident who has worked on the city's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. "We say 'Mississippi.' We say 'Wayzata,' and there are a whole bunch of other words that we have grown up with that are Dakota. It is the spirit and intent that matters."

Council Member Alise McGregor got on board, even though she said it was not the name she would have chosen. She said she wanted something that would be more simple to say.

"I like the idea of honoring the Dakota," McGregor said before voting in favor of adopting the name. "There are lot of streets that don't come that naturally to us," she said, noting that Peony Lane in Plymouth is pronounced in multiple ways.

With the 4-2 council vote, the Chankahda name will take effect on Oct. 1. And it's not the last change the road will see: The city this summer began the first phase of construction to rebuild the road and add trails and a pedestrian underpass between County Road 101 and Lawndale Lane.