Culture
Big Sandy Lake was inhabited by the Dakota Sioux until they were removed by the Ojibwa. In the Ojibwa language, the lake is known as Mitaawangaagamaa, meaning "Lake with flat, sandy beaches." The lake is home to the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa who are now part of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, but have been working on regaining their independent recognition restored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
In 1798, North West Company maintained a post on on the western side of the lake; in 1830, American Fur Company established a post at the confluence of the Sandy River with the Mississippi River, a short distance west of the lake. Originally located on the north shore of Big Sandy Lake, the village of Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag was the western terminus of the Northwest Trail that connected the Mississippi River with the Saint Louis River; Savanna Portage State Park that commemorates this historic trail is located on the northeastern shore.
In 1850, the United States attempted to remove the Ojibwa population out of Michigan and Wisconsin to areas west of the Mississippi River, resulting in the Sandy Lake tragedy. A memorial commemorating the Sandy Lake tragedy was established at the United States Army Corps of Engineers Sandy Lake Dam Campgrounds. Along Minnesota State Highway 65, a rest area with a view of Sandy Lake was established, enhanced with a Historical Marker plaque to further commemorate the Sandy Lake tragedy.
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Famous quotes containing the word culture:
“The first time many women hold their tiny babies, they are apt to feel as clumsy and incompetent as any man. The difference is that our culture tells them they’re not supposed to feel that way. Our culture assumes that they will quickly learn how to be a mother, and that assumption rubs off on most women—so they learn.”
—Pamela Patrick Novotny (20th century)
“When we want culture more than potatoes, and illumination more than sugar-plums, then the great resources of a world are taxed and drawn out, and the result, or staple production, is, not slaves, nor operatives, but men,—those rare fruits called heroes, saints, poets, philosophers, and redeemers.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The future is built on brains, not prom court, as most people can tell you after attending their high school reunion. But you’d never know it by talking to kids or listening to the messages they get from the culture and even from their schools.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1953)