Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-07-08
Suit gake gemutrat,
QUEER NAMES.
Singular Manner ia which New
Possibilities are ChriStened.

singular Manner in Which New
Possibilities are Christened.
| Washington Letter in Cincinnati Times-Star.
The appointment of large numbers OF
postmasters in all parts of the country at
this time brings to the surface some OF
the very many queer names that are
scattered through the long list of post
offices of the country. There are good
many of them, too. There are over 3d.
600 postofiices in the country and good
many of them with very queer names.
There are as a rule, twenty or thirty
named after each Postmaster General.
It has been custom in the Department
to name postoffice in nearly every State
and Territory after each newly-appointed
Postmaster General. There was, as it
will be remembered, a great run" on
the name Hatton. So there was in the
cases of the other heads of the Depart
ment, though it is asserted that the
present Postmaster General will not be
in favor OF this sort OF foolishness with
regard to his own name.
There are, however, very large num-
Der of queer names turning up constantly
in the very large number of changes be-
ing constantly made. Many of them,
too, have very interesting and curious
history. 1t is odd, for instance, to know
that the postoffice ''Hatton was named
for Postmaster General Hatton. The
people applied to have their Office named
Hatton, but being told that there was
already one Office OF that name IN the
State they wrote back, saying: "Well,
call it Hattoff, them" and it was so called
1t very often happens that the name
comes back quite different from that
which they asked. The citizens of Stone
county, Mo-. petitioned for an office to be
called "Flatwood," but it came back
"Blue Eye" Another in louisiana called
for the name of Lima, but the Depart
ment returned the word "Halloo," and
so it remains.
Another community in Georgia after
proposing several names, all of which
were rejected, was christened Enigma"
The minds of men run in different
groves, for one man, consulted for like
purpose, replied, "call it Corn Cob Or Pig
TAIL" and Corn Cob it became
Georgia has an office named Talking
Rock" Some one discovered in the
vicinity large stone upon which had
been painted the words turn me over"
1t required considerable strength to ac-
complish this, and when it was done, the
"now turn me back, and let
me fool some one else painted on the
under side of the stone, met the eye.
Dry bone, or zinc ore, found in Wisconsin !
furnished the name for "Dry Bone !
office, and "Fossilville" comes
from the fossil ore mine in |
The family of Jolly makes
a "Jollytown," and that of Fee "Feli |
City," and Grub the name of "Grubb- /
town." "Sis," in Pennsylvania, is in
1ebted for its name to a young lady thus
iamiliarly known, who unexpectedly |
called where several men were struggling
TO solve the difficult problem of naming /
he new office, and whose appearance was
he suggestion that settled the matter. A
name, if founded on some
striking incident, will continue against
mere sentimental ones.
A dog found hanging to tree by a
grape vine in one of the Southern States
yaVe name to a stream of water which
inds national as well as a local recog-
lition in the office of Hanging Dog"
Fish Hook and "Shoe Hill'' gain their
names by the winding of the water
courses. and "Spearfish'' from the spot
SUGdIlIlO
Carolina, " was adopted at the suggestion
If a popular young Confederate soldier
t was used by the Union soldiers to
designate the Confederates, and ac-
,epted by the latter as complimentary:
\ mans skull, lying under small
bluff in Tennessee gave name to the office
II "Skull Bone Kentucky has an office
FAMED "Pig." Blowing Rock" in
North Carolina, came from an eminence
It the top of which the wind blows with
,reat force. Shanghai" in Indiana,
vas named for the taller of two brothers
Who settled there about the time Shang-
lai or Bramah chickens were first intro
Iuced into this country. West Virginia
las a Shanghai also, named at about the
ame time. Broken Arrow" in Alaba-
ma, comes from an Indian legend mat
| brave shot deer on the banks OF
beautiful stream near by, which emptes
nto the Coosa river. The deer, in its
leath struggles, broke the arrow with
which it was pierced, and from this incl
lent tradition saws that a portion OF the
country was named Theitka, which, in
English signifies broken arrow. There
ire two "Tip-Top" offices. One comes
rom its Typographical position as the
highest point on a railway survey IN
kentucky, and is, in fact, the high
st point between Louisville and New Or
cans. Two prospectors in Arizona dis
covered mine and took specimens to
est in the fire. The specimens came out
covered with blisters of silver, and one OF
he men remarked that it was tip-top ore,
o which the other remarked that 1t was
| tip-top mine, and that they had better
i've it that name, which they did.