County Road 47 in Plymouth to be Named ‘ Chankahda Trail’
The Plymouth City Council approved the new name of County Road 47 to be Chankahda Trail.
The new name comes after considerable public outreach and study.
In October 2021, the council approved the transfer of County Road 47 to the city of Plymouth. The city asked the public for suggestions for a new name for the road, and the majority of requests asked for a name that honored the Dakota. A work group conducted historical research and consulted with Dakota linguists and recommended Chankahda Trail.
Dakota elder and Plymouth resident Syd Beane was involved with the process and said the name is a natural connection to the road and area. The name ‘Chankahda’ means ‘near the woods.’
“I hope you would follow the advice of anybody who drives along that road. It’s a beautiful road and there are woods all along the way,” said Beane while speaking at the Plymouth City Council meeting on Tuesday night. “It relates to the woods.”
The name is also a nod to when the area was known as a forested region called “the big woods.”
The council did approve the name, with some council members expressing concern that the pronunciation of the name could be too difficult. Council member Alise McGregor pointed out that the pronunciation of local places like “peony” in Peony Lane and “Wayzata” are also sometimes difficult.
