Rum River - Name History

Name History

The Dakota name for the river is Wakpa waḳaŋ (Spirit(ual)/Mystic River), after Mille Lacs Lake (Mde waḳaŋ, Spirit(ual)/Mystic Lake). In 1702, d'Isle's map recorded the name of the river as Riviere des Mendeoüacanton (River of the Mdewakanton). On the "Carte représentant le Messisipi entre le 49e d. et le 42e d. ou aboutit la rivière Wisconsing lac Supérieure, lac des Illinois et lac Alemepigon" map (c. 1730), Rum River is recorded as Rivière de S. François ou des Nadouessioux (St. Francis or Sioux River). On the 1733 Henry Popple map, the Rum River is shown as R. Nendivaocanton. Upham notes that both Carver in 1766 and Pike in 1805 found the name "Rum River" in use by English-speaking fur traders. However, the 1778 Mitchell Map by John Mitchell records the river as Fiume del Lago (River of the Lake), with Samuel Mitchell reproducing the map in 1880, with the river recorded as Lake R.; Mille Lacs Lake, though, was recorded in the reproduction as Red Lake or Mustiacalsan ("Mustiacalsan" being a mis-recording of "Miſsiſacaigon"). Henry Schoolcraft in his Narratives in 1820 records the Rum River by its Ojibwe name Missisawgaiegon. By 1832, Tanner's map recorded the name of the river as Missisagaigon or Rum River. Today, two different Ojibwe names can be found for this river: one indicating the lake of its origin (Misi-zaaga'igani-ziibi, Grand Lake River) and the other reflecting the English (Ishkodewaaboo-ziibi, Fire-water River).