Charles Hoag
Encyclopedia
Charles Hoag was the city of Minneapolis’s first school master, second Treasurer
of Hennepin County and a classical scholar. He is also known to have played a part in the naming of Minneapolis.
Hoag was born June 29 1808, in New Hampshire
and was educated in the public schools of the time. He attended Wolfboro Academy and Friends' Boarding School, at Providence
, Rhode Island
. By the time he was 16 he was teaching and would continue to practice for the next 27 years. He also served as the principal of a Philadelphia Grammar School for 13 years.
He moved to Minnesota
in 1852 where he taught in Saint Anthony for two terms. Upon his arrival in the state he claimed 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land in the future site of Minneapolis and as time went by became more involved in public affairs. He served as the second treasurer of Hennepin county, was an Odd Fellow and served one term as Grand Master of the Minnesota Grand Lodge. He was also Hennepin County Superintendent
of Schools from 1870 and 1874.
Hoag was also President of the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies of Minnesota and purchased a farm in 1857 which he called Diamond Lake Farm.
Charles Hoag is said to have played a central role in the naming of the city of Minneapolis. In 1852 the Hennepin county commissioners selected Albion as the name for the city. Not wanting to accept the new name, Hoag, along with George Bowman, editor of the St. Anthony Express, set about finding an alternative name. That night, Hoag was thinking about Indianapolis and having been trying to form a word from Indian suffixes decided on the Greek "polis," meaning city, joined with part of Minnehaha
which was and is mistakenly thought to be Dakota
for "laughing water" but really means something closer to "curling water" or "waterfall" (see Minnehaha Falls
). The next morning he had an article published with Mr. Bowman's help that proposed the name Minnehapolis, explaining that the “h” was silent. Writing in the Express: "I am aware that other names have been proposed such as Lowell, Brooklyn and Addiesville, but until some one (sic) is decided upon, we intend to call ourselves Minnehapolis." In a town meeting on December 1852 John Stevens
accepted the names without the “h”.
Charles Hoag moved to Diamond Lake Farm and lived there until his death in 1888.
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
of Hennepin County and a classical scholar. He is also known to have played a part in the naming of Minneapolis.
Hoag was born June 29 1808, in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and was educated in the public schools of the time. He attended Wolfboro Academy and Friends' Boarding School, at Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. By the time he was 16 he was teaching and would continue to practice for the next 27 years. He also served as the principal of a Philadelphia Grammar School for 13 years.
He moved to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1852 where he taught in Saint Anthony for two terms. Upon his arrival in the state he claimed 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land in the future site of Minneapolis and as time went by became more involved in public affairs. He served as the second treasurer of Hennepin county, was an Odd Fellow and served one term as Grand Master of the Minnesota Grand Lodge. He was also Hennepin County Superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
of Schools from 1870 and 1874.
Hoag was also President of the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies of Minnesota and purchased a farm in 1857 which he called Diamond Lake Farm.
Charles Hoag is said to have played a central role in the naming of the city of Minneapolis. In 1852 the Hennepin county commissioners selected Albion as the name for the city. Not wanting to accept the new name, Hoag, along with George Bowman, editor of the St. Anthony Express, set about finding an alternative name. That night, Hoag was thinking about Indianapolis and having been trying to form a word from Indian suffixes decided on the Greek "polis," meaning city, joined with part of Minnehaha
Minnehaha
Minnehaha is a fictional Native American woman documented in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. She is the lover of the titular protagonist Hiawatha. The name is often incorrectly said to mean "laughing water", though in reality it translates to "waterfall" or...
which was and is mistakenly thought to be Dakota
Lakota language
Lakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes. While generally taught and considered by speakers as a separate language, Lakota is mutually understandable with the other two languages , and is considered by most linguists one of the three major varieties of the Sioux...
for "laughing water" but really means something closer to "curling water" or "waterfall" (see Minnehaha Falls
Minnehaha Falls
Minnehaha Creek is a tributary of the Mississippi River located in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from Lake Minnetonka in the west and flows east for 22 miles through several suburbs west of Minneapolis and then through south Minneapolis. Including Lake Minnetonka, the watershed for the...
). The next morning he had an article published with Mr. Bowman's help that proposed the name Minnehapolis, explaining that the “h” was silent. Writing in the Express: "I am aware that other names have been proposed such as Lowell, Brooklyn and Addiesville, but until some one (sic) is decided upon, we intend to call ourselves Minnehapolis." In a town meeting on December 1852 John Stevens
John H. Stevens
John Harrington Stevens was the first authorized resident on the west bank of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was granted permission to occupy the site, then part of the Fort Snelling military reservation, in exchange for providing ferry service to St. Anthony...
accepted the names without the “h”.
Charles Hoag moved to Diamond Lake Farm and lived there until his death in 1888.