30 the Meskwaki and Sauk tribe fought off the French to ensure they could preserve the lands. Native Americans tended to be the residents of lands in these states.4 Because the Meskwaki tribe lived around the Fox River, they named the river the Fox River, which is named after the tribe. Now you might be wondering, it is named after them. Yes, it is! The French gave the Meskwaki Tribe the name of Renards, which translates to the Fox in French.5 Because the Meskwaki people were locals around the Fox River, the origins ended up being tied to the river. Because locals felt like the river did not have a connection to their living, they felt the need to change the name of the river. In 1922, residents that were not living around the river decided that the Fox River needed a new name.6 Jim Lino, the publicity man for Mooseheart believed that the river should be called the Mooseheart River.7 The reasoning behind this is that Mooseheart was the 1st town in Kane County and important people who helped change the history of Chicago were living there. This group called the Loyal People of Moose were supporting this movement. People believed that Lino was joking about this, especially people who were living by the banks of the river because there was no reason for the name change. According to a resident living on the banks, the reason why they could change the name of the river was “The fact that Wisconsin has two Fox Rivers.”8 This reason would have been plausible, however; there were no other reasons. Eugene Clifford, an attorney, talked about some reasons why the name of rivers can be changed, some 4 “History: Meskwaki: Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi,” Meskwaki Nation (Meskwaki Nation), https://www.meskwaki.org/history/. 5 Ward Duren J H., Meskwakia and the Meskwaki People (Tama County, Iowa) (Iowa City, IA: State historical Society of Iowa, 1906). 6 “Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections,” True Republican 11 January 1922 - Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=STR19220111.2.23&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN- %22fox%2Briver%22%2Bname%2Bchange---------. 7 “Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections,” The DeKalb Daily Chronicle 9 January 1922 - Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=DKD19220109.1.6&srpos=3&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN- %22fox%2Briver%22%2Bname%2Bchange%2Bmooseheart---------. 8 “Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections,” True Republican 14 January 1922 - Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=STR19220114.2.55&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN- %22fox%2Briver%22%2Bname%2Bchange%2Bmooseheart---------.
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