I used to live about a block from Lake Calhoun, in Minneapolis. I associate my time living there with my huge (or anti-huge?) weight-loss project, in 2006-2007. I lost almost 60 pounds that year – and mostly, I kept it off, losing another bit after coming to Korea, and then a lot when I had cancer, and then gaining some of that last bit back. I've been pretty stable at 80 kilos since the bounceback from the cancer.
Part of that process was my daily jogging. I would go out and run around the lake. I made a fixed habit of it. So you could say that I lost my pounds to the lake. And anyway, I have strong associative memories of the lake, my time living there, those daily runs, and the feeling of taking control back of my life.
I recently learned that there has been a movement to rename the lake. I think that's maybe a good idea – it's named for that famous, pre-Civil War justifier of slavery. This has now started the approval process.
The new name is Bde Maka Ska ("White Earth Lake"). I think this is a wonderful new name. Having studied the Dakota language (if only a little bit), I was pleased to recognize two of the three words in this name. It's especially nice in the city of Bdeota (which is, afterall, Minneapolis' Dakota name, and means simply "Place of Lakes").
Most countries in the world frequently rename things, and I think it's generally interesting, if sometimes overly trendy to whatever is currently going on politically in a place. But this change I can support unequivocally.
Here is a picture I took in 2009, during a brief visit to the old neighborhood, retracing my jogging route around the lake.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
There is also a lake somewhere in Ilsan if I am not wrong.
I agree that this is a great new name for Lake Calhoun. I had no idea it was named after Calhoun the slave trader until I read about the name change in an op ed by Garisson Keilor. I think he was against the change, but I got frustrated with the tone of his piece, so I stopped reading after a paragraph or two. The new name will compliment the many other Native American place names in the Twin Cities.