The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-24

trace the origin Oh tno name laudoso, ao an
Indian river name to the ancient river Ianals,
and on this discovery, as well as on other SINH
lar resemblance he Pounds the argument that
the ancient Cherokees migrated from the West-
ern part of Asia. Mr.. Allen claims that the
name is derived from an Indian name SIGNIFY
ing "a curved spoon''; and there is authority
for still another derivation from an Indian
word signifying "a bend in the river, in allu-
sion to the course of the river. L am not aware
that in either case the Indian word has been
given, nor is it believed that any such word
exists.
Ohio is named after the beautiful river, its
southern boundary. From Johnston's SAC
count of the Indian Tribes" the word Ohio as
applied to the river in the Wyandot language,
is Ohe-zuh, signifyiug something great"
The name was called by the Seneeas dwelling
on the shores of Lake Erie the Oheo. Mr..
Schoolcraft observes that the termination 10 in
Ohio implies admiration. On the old French
maps the name is sometimes "the Ochio," and
sometimes "the Oyo."
Indiana derives its name from one OF the old
ante-Revolutionary land companies which had
claims in that region.
The State of Illinois is named from its prin-
cipal river, the Illinois. The river is named
from the confederacy of Indian tribes called
the Illinois Confederacy, which had its seat III
the central part of the State Gallatin gives
the definition of the word Illinois 'real men,"
superior men," from the Delaware word,
Leno, LEM, Hin, Him. as it is variously writ
ten. The termination OILS is that by which the
French softened the local inflexion when they
adopted an Indian word.
Lanman, in his s'Red Book of Michigan"
derives the name of that State from the Indian
word Michsaugyegan, signifying Lake Country
Johnson's Cyclopadia derives the name from
the Indian words Mitch, Saugyegan, meaning
Lake Country. regard this as questionable
derivation. There are good reasons for sup
posing that the State derived its name from
Lake Michigan, and not from its being nearly
enclosed by lakes. If the word Michigan sig
mites Lake Country, why should it have been
applied to the lake at all? In support of the
theory that the name Michigan was descriptive
signifying great lake," and was first given to
the lake, I call attention to the fact that on
the earliest maps the lake bears the name,
while the peninsula both upper and lower, has
no name whatever. Besides, the name as ap-
piled to the lake, has a simple Indian deriva-
ton. The Algonquin races, at the head of
which was the Chippewa tribe, dwelt on the
northwestern shores of the lake. In the old
Algonquin language the syllable :gan" meant
lake. In the Chippewa language, ''mitcha"
meant great.
Wisconsin was named afterits principal river
Until quite recent period the river was called
the Ouisconsin, WHICH is said to mean west
ward flowing" Ouis is evidently shortened
from the French "ouest" Mr.. Schoolcraft
says that locality was given in the Algonquin
by ing, meaning at in, or by-as Visions
\
The name of Louisiana, now confined to a
State of the Union, was originally given to the
entire French possessions on the west bank of
the Mississippi, by La Sale, in 1852, in honor
of Louis XIV.
The State of Arkansas takes it name from its
principal river, the river from the tribe of In
dams formerly living near its mouth. Till
quite recent period the river was calledAkan-
sas, and the tribe the Arkansas tribe. Mr..
Schoolcraft says that both the names Arkansas
- I,k
hear the sounds as modified by French orthoe-
by and enunciation. The same author further
relates that there is species Of acacia found in
Arkansas, from which the Indians, on the arri-
val of the French, made for themselves bows.
1t is light yellow, solid and flexible. "This is
thought to have led to the appellation of Arc
or Bow Indians" AS they belonged to the
Kansa race and had lately separated from them
that term would naturally be adopted by the
French as the generic name. In the Contrib
utors' Club of the Atlantic Monthly, May,
1881, in reference to the name Arkansas, oc-
ours this curious passage: "Does not the name
come from the arc-en-sang of the early French
traders, its likeness to Kansas being accidental?
Whether the bloody bow was special weapon
like the medicine bow, that gave its name to q
creek, mountain range, and railway station in
Wyoming, or the bloody bows were a band
like the Sans Arcs, cannot now be deter
mined.
The State of Missouri was named from the
river of that name, and the river itself from
the Missouris. tribe once living near its
mouth, and afterwards driven into the interior.
There is another theory in respect to the name
of the river that it is descriptive. Colonel Hig-
ginson in his "Young Folks History" says
Missouri means "muddy-water." The Daco-
tabs called the Missouri Minneshoshay, "mud-
DIV WATER a word which might easily become
Missouri. In an article on Indian Migrations
by Lewis FL. Morgan, in the North American
Review, vol. cx., it is stated as matter of tra-
dition that the Kansas Indians were formerly
established on the banks of the Mississippi
above the Missouri, and that they called the
Missouri Ne-sho-ja "the muddy river" a name
in which the present name can be traced.
The State of Iowa is named from the river of
that name, and the river from the Iowa In
dams, who after many migrations settled on its
banks. In the same article in the Atlantic
Monthly to which have al ready alluded, it is
intimated that the name Ioway is contracted
from Ah-hee-oo-ba meaning ''sleepers," which
perhaps explains why the Sioux nearly extir-
pated them.
The State of Texas, formerly Spanish terrific
tory, then Mexican, and later an independent
State, is the only State acquired by annexation.
There is a conflict of opinion as to the origin
of its name. Johnson's CyclopBdia, article
Texas, states that 1T is now proved conclu-
siyely to be of Indian derivation, the generic
his visit in 1885, On Scales map, 1850, the
centre of the territory is occupied by indians
called the Tecas, which may be the generic til
tie referred to. But Mr.. Bryant, in his "His-
tory of the United States" vol. Ii, page 51S,
note, says: at is supposed that the name Tex
as is from the Spanish TEXAS, in alluson to the
covered houses found by La Sale on his visit
in 1885. In Morphiss History of Texas" the
name is given as of doubtful origin. He states
in substance that some refer the name to the
capital village of the Nassonlte tribe, others re-
fer it to the Spanish word "teger, to weave in
reference to placing the grass over the cottages;
others drive it from "tejas," meaning ''cob-
webs,' the account being that the Spaniards
encamped in an expedition into the country,
and one morning the commander seeing many
cobwebs between himself and the rising sun ex-
claimed 'sMira las tejasl" and named the land
Texas. The cobweb theory may well be dis
missed as legendary.
The origin of the name of Florida is matter
of general agreement among historians. The
story of Ponce de Leon sailing to the west in
1872 in search of the fountain of youth, seeing
land on Pascua Florida or "Flowery Easter"
and on account of its profusion of flowers NAM
ed it Florida, is familiar to all.
The name of Oregon was at first applied to
the Columbia river, then to the territory and
lastly to the State. The origin of the name is
copiectural. The earliest printed mention of it
is in Caryers travels in 1868. Carver explored
the sources of the Mississippi river, and states
that by his residence among the Indians es-
pecially 1.-The Sioux, he obtained general
kQOWleQS Oh IQ6 bltudtlOu VI tHO iifOi OA0SOA
or sthe river of the West that falls into the Pa
cific Ocean at the Straits of Anian." By that
which he calls the Oregon the sources of which
he placed not far from the head waters of the
Missouri, he may have referred to some one OF
the sources of the Missouri or to one OF the two
rivers which, rising in the Rocky Mountains,
formed the principal eastern tributaries OF the
Oregon. Carver was misled as to the locality
of the river of the West, and the supposed
sources of it may have confounded with the
sources of the Missouri or of one OF The tributa-
ries in question But this much the publica-
ton of his travels accomplished-the establish
ment of a belief in the existence OF great riv
er emptying into the Pacific ocean. He desig-
mated by the name Oregon great river flow
ing into the Pacific, and when in after times
such river was discovered the name was
ready at hand.
The name of California appears to have been
taken from a Spanish romance "Las Sergus de
Esplandian," in which is described "tne great
island of California where great abundance OF
gold and precious stone is found" This worth
less romance was published in 1910, and gener-
ally read. Probably the name of California en-
gagged the fancy of some of the officers of Cortes
and was given by them to the country discov-
cred by him in 1886. 1t is strange that the
name accidentally given.should have proved SO
exactly descriptive.
The State of Nevada takes its name from the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, which line its west
ern frontier, the mountains in their turn being
named from the Sierra Nevada of Granada,
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