Alaska Place Names

Each entry conforms to principles of U.S. Board on Geographic Names and lists location, brief history and meaning of name.

An alphabetical listing of the names of natural features in Alaska. A paragraph cites the location and the origin of each name. Does not include towns or settlements. The "index" is a cross-reference of alternative names.

Romantic history-filled names have long fired the imagination of every reader and visitor to the Northland. In Alaska-Yukon Place Names, author James W. Phillips takes the vacationing tourist, historian, and armchair traveler through the most memorable places in the Alaska-Yukon region. Since the most popular routes north to Alaska and the Yukon are the Marine Highway and the Alaska Highway through Canada, the entries of Alaska-Yukon Place Names include ghost towns, islands, waterways, mountains, and glaciers in northern British Columbia. Whether more interested in the scenery, the historic past, or the fabulous yarns connected with the area, you will be delighted by the colorful towns of Alaska and the Yukon: Poorman, Shaman’s Village, Chicken and Eek, and will have no trouble imagining the mettle of those pioneers who traveled Moose Pass, shot Squaw Rapids, or panned in Pure Gold Creek.

The American Indians have lost much of their land over the years, but their legacy is evident in the many places around the United States that have Indian names. Countless placenames have, however, been corrupted over time, and numerous placenames have similar spellings but different meanings. This reference work is a reprint in one combined volume of the two-volume set published by McFarland in 2003 and 2005. Volume One covers the name origins and histories of cities, towns and villages in the United States that have Indian names. It is arranged alphabetically by state, then alphabetically by city, town or village name. Additional data include population figures and county names. Probable Indian placenames with no certain origin also receive entries, and as much history as possible is provided about those locations. Volume Two covers more than 1400 rivers, lakes, mountains and other natural features in the United States with Indian names. It is arranged by state, and then alphabetically by natural feature. Counties are provided for most entries, with multiple counties listed for some entries where appropriate. In addition to name origins and meanings, geophysical data such as the heights of mountains and lengths of waterways are indicated.

"Shem Pete (1896-1989), the colorful and brilliant raconteur from Susitna Station, Alaska left a rich legacy of knowledge about the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina world. Shem was one of the most versatile storytellers and historians in twentieth century Alaska. His lifetime travel map of approximately 13,500 square miles is one of the largest ever documented in this degree of detail anywhere in the world. Reflecting the latest scholarship on Upper Inlet Dena'ina ethnogeography and history, this revised second edition includes new place names, two new essays, numerous annotations, and new photographs. It also illustrates how Shem Pete's Alaska has contributed to the recognition of the Dena'ina heritage of southcentral Alaska since the publication of the second edition in 2003. The names form a reconstructed place name network from the vantage points of the life experiences of Shem Pete and other Dena'ina and Ahtna speakers. The place names are annotated with comments and stories by Shem Pete and more than fifty other contributors, and with historic references, vignettes, numerous photographs, a selection of historic maps, and shaded-relief place name maps. The authors provide perspective on Dena'ina language and culture, and a summary of Dena'ina geographic knowledge and place name research methodology. The book is a significant contribution to Athabascan ethnography and linguistics, the history of Alaska, and to the fields of ethnogeography and onomastics. This book will be the basic reference work on the Dena'ina people of Upper Cook Inlet"--Provided by publisher.