On August 31, 2006 the following letter to the editor was published in the Princeton Union-Eagle. Princeton, Minnesota is located on the "Rum" River corridor and it has a population of 4,436.

Trying to change the Rum's name

I am spearheading the local, national and international movement to change the profane and derogatory name of the Rum River. And I am also spearheading a movement to change other Minnesota geographic place names that are offensive to Native Americans. Within the last few months my movement to change the name of the Rum River has made significant progress toward reaching its goal.

The City of Cambridge, Isanti County Active living By Design and the Cambridge Campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College have made a multicultural statement that shows due respect for Native Americans. They made this statement by naming a Cambridge two mile long nature area - located along the Rum River - Spirit River Nature Area instead of Rum River Nature Area.

Interpretive signs were created and added to trials in the nature area. These signs located along the trials tell visitors about the plant and animal life, the ecosystems, the geology, and even some cultural history associated with this nature area.

On an interpretive sign located in this nature area there are the words: The Rum River was the super highway for the Isanti Indians. To them, this important waterway was known as Watpa Wakan, the great Spirit River, until a white man's pun turned "spirit" into "rum".

And C.D. Floro, the editor of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe's Lake traverse Reservation newspaper - and supporter of the effort to change the name of the Rum River, published my latest open letter to the Oyate. This letter is about the effort to change the name of the Rum River to Wakan River, or to its correct interpretation (Spirit River).

Thomas Dahlheimer
Wahkon