Deemed offensive to Native Americans, Lake County creek name changed

After a yearlong effort by county officials, the name of a Lake County creek has gone from hurtful to Native Americans to inspiring.

Meandering from Fox Lake through Ingleside and the Round Lake area down toward Mundelein, the 15-mile Squaw Creek is now officially Manitou Creek.

While “squaw” is considered a derogatory ethnic and sexual slur against Native American women, “manitou” represents the spirit of the stream and the lifeblood of the region’s Indigenous people.

Jim Denomie, a citizen of the Bad River Chippewa Tribe, pointed out the offensive nature of the original creek name when he first became a board member of one of Lake County’s drainage districts. That district is named after the creek. It, too, now has a new name: Manitou Creek Drainage District.

“It took a little longer than I would have liked it to take, but it didn’t bother me,” said Denomie, who lives in Hainesville with his wife, Barb, part of the sovereign nation of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin.

“We made it. … It’s a victory.”

Changing the name, which dated back to 1840, required approval from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

The effort evolved into a communitywide campaign, with residents, organizations, elected officials, volunteers and other Lake County leaders stepping forward to support members of the drainage district.

More than 35 letters of support accompanied the name change application, said Patrick Duby, president of the three-person board of the Manitou Creek Drainage District.

As part of the federal application process, a period of time allows people to either support or oppose the effort.

“We weren’t going to leave it to chance,” Duby said. “We decided we’re going to get all the support ahead. They said we were one of the most complete cases that had been filed. We were really excited. The outpouring of support has been fantastic.”

Duby remembers when Denomie first pulled him aside more than a year ago to suggest the name change.

“This is something we should do something about,” Duby immediately responded.

Talks during formal board meetings led to presentations to the Lake County Board, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and officials from area cities and villages.

With Denomie’s help, a list of alternative names for the creek was developed. Interestingly, the creek uniquely flows in a northwest direction as it empties into Long Lake. Most water flows in the opposite direction.

Manitou stood out among suggestions, such as Cranberry Creek, Crane Creek and Muskrat Creek.

All involved had no idea how extensive the name change request would be, but, looking back, they’re proud of the work they put in.

“It’s inspiring,” said Duby, a Round Lake resident. “It’s a good ending to a long process.”

Changed in the federal Geographic Names Information System, the creek name now will be formally changed at a county level. The next step is replacing signs and official designations where the name Squaw Creek remains, Duby said.

Along with the Lake County Board and Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Duby said he’s working with the Lake County Forest Preserve.

“Our group has volunteer donations to change signs along walking paths or roads,” Duby said. “We’re trying to do everything with volunteer donations.”

The name change is only one of several projects undertaken by the Manitou Creek Drainage District, the smallest taxing body In Lake County.

Drainage districts were developed more than 100 years ago to help prevent flooding in farmland. While many have become defunct or somewhat inactive as development has replaced farmland, Duby said he saw an opportunity to address environmental concerns through a revival of the Manitou Creek Drainage District.

In January, the district earned a $8,850 grant – nearly doubling the district’s annual budget – from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission to help deal with beaver-human conflicts.

Beavers are known in the region for building dams in certain locations along the creek and causing flooding issues for residents and farm fields. In years past, beavers were killed, their dam structures destroyed. These efforts took time and money, Duby said.

Adopting a no-kill policy, members of the drainage district sought a more long-term solution and have worked with consultants and other environmental advocates to develop state-of-the-art flow devices at beaver conflict sites, he said.

Basically, pipes are used as bypass systems through the beaver dams to keep the water flowing. If all goes as planned, the devices will be used as models for other areas, Duby said.

“We’re trying to clean the environment, save money and implant new environmental technology to make something sustainable,” Duby said. “You don’t really need a huge budget. You just need some good people willing to volunteer and give their time.”