My source is not the MCDA, rather it is the Minneapolis Planning Department which is the keeper of Minneapolis neighborhood names and boundaries. Years ago, I double-checked with them (I no longer recall who) and confirmed that officially it is King Field.
Far less authoritatively, I think the neighborhood is indeed named after Martin Luther King Field and not Colonel King of King Farm and King's Highway (aka Dupont Avenue South from 36th to 46th and thence westerly along 46th Street to Lake Harriet) fame. When I was on the City Council in the early 70s and living in the same residence as now, I belonged to a neighborhood association. I can't recall its name but it was not named after anything to do with King. I think it began with an L, but wasn't Lyndale. But this could be all wrong. I've certainly had numerous other examples of a growing faulty memory. As I've told David in the past, it is this association with Dr. King that is behind my somewhat unreasonable obsession with getting the name right. I like the fact that I live in a neighborhood named after that great civil rights leader. Keith Ford King Field resident -----Original Message----- From: David Brauer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 6:46 AM To: Mpls list Cc: Keith Ford Subject: RE: [Mpls] Neighborhood name histories: King Field OK, but here's a knotty one: Kingfield....or King Field? Our own Keith Ford, longtime resident and former councilperson, loudly insists it is two words: King Field. Since he works for the MCDA - the birthplace of many neighborhood names - one has to take his view even more seriously. I respect Keith's tenure in the neighborhood and in government, so I use the two-word version. It helps that many official city documents list us as King Field, thus our neighborhood association's abbreviation is KFNA, not KNA. But over time, popular use has turned it into Kingfield. Nearly everyone spells it that way. Most people assume the name comes from Martin Luther King Park, although I think the neighborhood name was established before the park was re-named (when did those events happen, and what was the original park name?) If the neighborhood was named before the park was re-named, I'm baffled as to where the King in King Field/Kingfield came from. Any solvers of the mystery will contribute info that I'll put on our website, www.kingfield.org. David Brauer King Field _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
