MINNEAPOLIS—A century-old city park in south Minneapolis is getting a new name.
On Thursday, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) voted to remove the name “Sibley” from Sibley Park and its facilities, tentatively renaming the site as 40th Street Park.
The city purchased the park, which is located at East 40th Street and Longfellow in Minneapolis, in 1922. One year later, it was named after Gen. Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota’s first regional governor, according to the park’s history section, which has been renamed to reflect the proposed new name.
A campaign to rename the park began in 2016, when students from Sanford Middle School and community members requested that the Sibley name be removed due to the former governor’s support for violence against the Dakota people.
Official renaming discussions between MPRB staff and community members began in 2021, with commissioners considering the name “Chanté T’ínza Wínyan Park” by 2023.
However, the park board did not adopt “Chanté T’ínza Wínyan Park” in Thursday’s vote. Indigenous advisors requested that the board consult with Indigenous community members and tribal governments when considering Indigenous names.
“Once that process is established and its Naming Policy is updated, MPRB will lead an Indigenous-centered process and timeline for determining a permanent new name for the park,” MPRB officials wrote on the Minneapolis Parks website.
Park officials intend to hold a community event in May to “recognize the importance” of renaming the park.
