Mille Lacs Kathio State Park near Onamia in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
"Kathio" or "Isanti?"
Kathio - A Place of Choice
| — | National Historic Landmark District | — |
Photographed by McGhiever, May 29, 2025
1. "Kathio" or "Isanti?" Marker
"Kathio was the name of the great town of Nadouessioux which Duluth visited, in 1679, mistranslating the name, or misstating its true pronunciation, and also omitting to describe its actual location, omissions which have required critical and attentive inquiry to resupply."
Jacob Brower, Archaeologist & author of Memoirs of Explorations in the Valley of the Mississippi, 1901.
"The name of this place should be Isanti (E-sawn-tee) State Park, because that is correct, whereas Kathio is incorrect. Isan means 'knife' and Isanti refers to the Knife Lake and Mille Lacs Lake people of the Dakota nation."
Tim Blue, Education Director, Eci Nompa Woonspe, Morton Minnesota, 2003.
Artist Seth Eastman painted this picture of a Mdewakanton Dakota bark-covered summer house along the Minnesota River in 1845. Archaeologists believe it is quite similar to those which were built here at Kathio before and during the time when Europeans first came to North America.
Erected by Minnesota State Parks and Trails.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1679.
Location. 46° 8.683′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Central Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dakota Village (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Palisade (about 300 feet away); Archaeology Uncovers the Unwritten Past (about 300 feet away); House & Home (about 300 feet away); Ojibwe Wild Rice Harvest (about 300 feet away); A Wealth of History (about 400 feet away); Kathio Landmark Trail
Photographed by McGhiever, May 29, 2025
2. "Kathio" or "Isanti?" Marker on the Kathio Landmark Trail
Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 15, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
