As I was riding my bike along Jonathan Carver Parkway I started to wonder who was Jonathan Carver and why did they name this road after him? “Jonathan Carver Parkway” goes North from Jordan, MN through Carver, MN up to the newly expanded Highway 212 and to the new Fleet Farm Store. The first report I ever had to do for school was on George Washington Carver – was he related? Turns out he was an explorer and map maker and was in the same area I was riding my bike in almost 250 years ago.Here is a great article that gives the details about Jonathan Carver – I agree he deserves to have a road named after him.
Jonathan Carver was an explorer, mapmaker, author, and subject of controversy. He was among the first white men to explore and map areas of Minnesota, and including what later became Carver County. While French explorers had been in the area earlier, they did not leave behind detailed maps or journals of their travels as Carver did…
Portrait of Jonathan Carver, who was an early explorer of the area that later became Carver County.
…Carver kept detailed journal accounts of the expedition. By December 7, 1766, they reached the Minnesota River. There, Carver befriended a band of Dakota, whom he calls “Naudowessies” in his journal. They allowed him to winter with them, and he spent time observing and recording their customs and celebrations in his journals. This would become the focal point of his writing.
Chris Teien 