 WAYZATA, a city in Minnetonka and Orono Townships, lying on
the north side of Wayzata Bay, was platted in 1854, incorporated on May 5, 1883, and May 1, 1906,
when it separated from the townships, and incorporated as a city in 1929. Its early development was as a
summer resort area, with a subdivision called Fernwood, a summer residence site that expanded into large
estates; it was platted by O. E. Garrison. The post office operated as Wyzata, 1856-61, South
Plymouth, 1864, Wayzata, 1866, Freeport, 1867-69, changing back to Wayzata; it had a station of the Great
Northern Railway.
This name was formed by slight change from Waziyata, a Dakota word meaning "at the pines, the
north." Wazi is defined as "a pine, pines," and Waziya, "the northern god, or god of
the north; a fabled giant who lives at the north and blows cold out of his mouth. He draws near in winter
and recedes in summer." The suffix ta, denotes "at, to, on" (Riggs, Dictionary
of the Dakota Language, 1852, pp. 192, 239). The name Wayzata, originated by white men,
refers to the location at the north side of the east end of Lake Minnetonka, not to pine trees, which are
found nearest, in very scanty numbers, on the Mississippi bluffs at Dayton and on Bassett's and Minnehaha
Creeks in Minneapolis.
Extracted from Minnesota Place Names, by Warren Upham
|
