County by county, Upham describes names of towns, hills, rivers, lakes, and other landmarks. It is no accident that many of these names derive from the Dakota or Ojibwe, two groups with a long history in the region and an intimate knowledge of the land. French explorers and traders who occupied Minnesota long before statehood were generally more inclined than the British and Americans who followed to let Indians be Indians. And that is true of their names as well. Nonetheless, as Upham notes, many Dakota and Ojibwe names survive intact or by accurate translation.
Many names are geographically savvy.
The city and county of Pipestone were named for the pipestone quarry, known to tribes throughout the prairies and plains. Detroit Township and Detroit Lakes were named with the French word referring to the strait formed by the long point extending from the south shore, nearly dividing the lake into two basins. Blue Earth county and river were named for blue-green earth once thought to be copper ore, and long used by the Dakota as pigment. Lake Traverse is a translation of the Dakota name that indicated the lake lay crosswise in orientation to nearby Big Stone Lake and Lac qui Parle. Even better than names that are descriptive, however, are names that add interpretation or commentary.