American Place Names

From Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to Intercourse, Pennsylvania, and Bug Tussle, Alabama, this pop-culture history offers a well-written and highly entertaining survey of America's most unusual place-names and their often-humorous origins.

This volume combines historical research and linguistic fieldwork with native speakers from across the United States to present the first comprehensive, up-to-date, scholarly dictionary of American placenames derived from native languages." "Linguist William Bright assembled a team of twelve editorial consultants - experts in Native American languages - and many other native contributors to prepare this lexicon of eleven thousand placenames along with their etymologies. New data from leading scholars make this volume an invaluable reference for students of American Indian culture, folklore, and local histories. Bright's introduction explains his methodology and the contents of each entry. This comprehensive, alphabetical lexicon preserves native language as it details the history and culture found in American indian placenames.

Biloxi. Tunica. Pascagoula. Yazoo. Tishomingo. Yalobusha. Tallahatchie. Itta Bena. Yockanookany. Bogue Chitto. These and hundreds of other place names of Native American origin are scattered across the map of Mississippi. Described by writer Willie Morris as “the mysterious, lost euphonious litany,” such colorful names, which were given by the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and other tribes, contribute significantly to the state’s sense of place. Yet the general public is largely unaware of exact meanings and tribal roots. Native American Place Names in Mississippi is the first reference book devoted to a subject of interest to residents and visitors alike. From large rivers and towns to tiny creeks and rural communities, Keith A. Baca identifies the most probable meanings of many names with more than one recorded interpretation. He corrects misconceptions that have arisen over the years and translates numerous names for the first time. For the benefit of travelers, he provides the location of each named place. To bring attention to often inconspicuous and unmarked streams, he also indicates points where highways cross rivers and creeks with Native American appellations. Sidebars present Native American history, legends, and myths that surround these enigmatic and alluring designations.

This dictionary of Native American places was originally published in 1909. Alphabetically arranged by Native American name, this reference work gives insight into the Native origins of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont cities, towns, rivers, streams, lakes, and other locales. The Abanki confederacy of tribes of northern New England gets their name from the word Wabunaki meaning "land or country of the east" or "morning land."

A linguistic history of Native American place-names in Indiana In tracing the roots of Indiana place names, Michael McCafferty focuses on those created and used by local Native Americans. Drawing from exciting new sources that include three Illinois dictionaries from the eighteenth century, the author documents the language used to describe landmarks essential to fur traders in Les Pays d’en Haut and settlers of the Old Northwest territory. Impeccably researched, this study details who created each name, as well as when, where, how and why they were used. The result is a detailed linguistic history of lakes, streams, cities, counties, and other Indiana names. Each entry includes native language forms, translations, and pronunciation guides, offering fresh historical insight into the state of Indiana.

This dictionary of Native American places was originally published in 1909. Alphabetically arranged by Native American name, this reference work gives insight into the Native origins of Massachusetts cities, towns, rivers, streams, lakes, and other locales. The current state of Massachusetts retains the name of the once inhabiting tribe, although its people were decimated by illness and disorganized by warfare around 1617. Massachusetts is a word meaning ""a hill in the form of an arrow-head.""

This dictionary of Native American places was originally published in 1909. Alphabetically arranged by Native American name, this reference work gives insight into the Native origins of Rhode Island cities, towns, rivers, streams, lakes, and other locales. What was the Narragansett territory is closely aligned with the current boundaries of the state of Rhode Island. The significance of the word Narragansett is "at the little point'" or "island."