7/24/2011:
On this date in 1874 a town along the Red River in southeast North Dakota became Wahpeton. It was originally a tiny settlement called Richville; named for the man who first plowed there, and for the richness of the land itself. In 1871 the growing town’s name changed to “Chahinkapa,” an Indian word meaning “the end of the woods,” since the town was placed where the forest ended and the plains began. But when the county was also named Chahinkapa, a settler named William Cooper suggested changing the name to “Wahpeton,” a contraction of the Indian name “Warpeotonwe” meaning “leaf village.” As we now know, the new name was accepted, and Wahpeton went on to become a thriving North Dakota city.
Dakota Datebook written by Leewana Thomas
Sources:
http://www.wahpeton.com/index.asp?Type=B_LOC&SEC={FE5B1003-317A-4588-AD27-02CEAE810083}&DE={28AB9356-D120-49CD-A47E-EF2FB9904E55}
North Dakota State Historical Society “Today in North Dakota History” for July 24th.