West Calhoun

Location and General Characteristics

West Calhoun is located on the western edge of Minneapolis in the Calhoun-Isles community. The neighborhood is bounded by France Avenue, Lake Street, Lake Calhoun and 36 th Street. Lake Calhoun has gone through several name changes. Some Dakota people called the lake "Mde Ma-ka-ska," which means "Lake of the White Earth." This was because of the lake's sandy north shore. Later, early Europeans renamed the lake with another Dakota name, "Medoza," or loon. The current name comes from early surveyors who mapped the western lands in 1817. They named it after the secretary of war at the time, John C. Calhoun. Calhoun was also a congressman, senator, secretary of state and vice president.

The Grand Rounds Scenic Byway borders Lake Calhoun, and the oldest country club in Minneapolis, the Minikahda Club, occupies most of the western and southern sections of the neighborhood.

The Bakken Museum was established to study electricity and magnetism. It was founded in 1975 by Earl E. Bakken, inventor of the first transistorized cardiac pacemaker. Its research library holds 11,000 rare books and 2,500 scientific instruments relating to the role of electricity in life.

Last updated Sep 27, 2011