Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-09-16
CALIFORNIA NOMENCLATURE.
The Meaning of Some Familiar Geographical
and Other Names that Come from the Span
Santa Cruz Sentinel .

Santa CRUZ S9ntlneI.
The word vaquero is in common use
among those who have or breed cattle
and by such is pronounced buckhara
The writer asked cattle dealer the origin
of the word buckhara, as he pronounc-
ed it.
why" said he, don't you know that
all the men employed by US in taking
care of and herding cattle always ride
bucking horses and the hair from cattle
and horses stick to their clothes and so
the men are called buckhairers.
His derivation was ingenious, but the
true word is vaquero. Vaca meaning COW,
and vaquero, one who herds or tends cat
tie; cowherder.
There is on the road to San Fran
cisco, beyond San Jose, large tract of
land which was granted by the Spanish
government, by the name of Las Pull
gas, very commonly called "Pulgas
Rancho" and is, when translated, the
place of heas.
Such name leads US to consider that
the sponsors of that place must have
suffered to induce them to give the name
of flea to their property.
What mutterings twistings and turn
ings, slappiug and twiches, itchings and
rubbings, until finally the invader is
spied beneath the fold of garment.
The victim, with cautiously poised fng;
er and thumb, prepares to capture him
slowly and carefully he begins the as
sault with a determination nothing can
check. There! He is caught! He is ex-
ultingly felt between the thumb and
finger, and the grip tightens as he is felt
The hunter straightens himself, and for
a moment enjoys the pleasing triumph
and then prepares to destroy the insect
to immediate him on the horns of his
wrath. as it were. He released the
pinching power of thumb and finger to
take peep, to enjoy his triumph still
more. The insect is not visible yet. He
releases it a little more, still more and
more, he opens his fingers wide. The
flea is not there-he has fed. Fled as
feeth.
The Spanish word for thumb is pulgar,
from whence comes pulga or flea. The
connection between them is easily under
stood, and in double sense by those
who have endeavored by the use of the
thumb and it's adjunct to catch the tor
menting insect.
1t appears to be impossible to arrive
at the Indian meaning of the names
which have been retained. In this coun-
try there are three noted grants of land
that were made under Indian names.
Zayante, now called Sayante, is one of
them, and of which the village of FELTON,
now forms part.
Sequel Is another, as having a village
called after the same name, and Autosa,
now altered to Aptos, is the third. The
writer is still procuring search for the
origin and meaning of these names.
In an official order of the governor of
California, made eighty years ago. So
qUel is alluded to; and this was many
years before the land was granted.
We will now step outside of California,
and as a depression will. mention that
about the year 1910 there was much COM
mercial disaster in and about the State of
New York and city.
The newspapers of the day were filled
with notices of bankruptcy. Well-known
merchants closed their places of business
and disappeared from view. Wall street
and the exchange knew them no more.
This became so frequent that one day
some wag chalked or printed on the door
of well-known commercial house that
had been closed and the occupant of which
had absented himself, the letters sc.
T. T."
This occasioned more surprise; until
the New York Herald in one of its issues
explained that &c. T. To means gone to
Texas. Soon it became a byword that
when merchant met with pecuniary
misfortune he had G. L. T., gone to Tex
as; and Texas became the mecca of the
unfortunate, the depressed, and the ad-
no ont Of no
war with Mexico, Texas acquired great
notoriety, and then came the inquiry;
Whence its name? What does Texas
mean? Nobody knew, and many were the
supposititious replies.
Yet it is easily and simply explained.
1t is Spanish descriptive word meaning
tiles, such as houses are rooted with in
some countries instead of shingles. In
modern etymology 1t is spelled Tel jas and
pronounced Tehas.
It's origin is as follows:
The missionaries of the Catholic church,
after the conquest of Mexico, then called
New Spain, penetrated the wilds of Amer
lea from the Atlantic side, and when ex-
pIoring that part now known as Texas, in
search of Indian converts, discovered up
on the banks of the Rio Grande, which
they had partially assembled, village of
Indians who, to their surprise, lived in
houses or huts with tile roofs (which was
an evidence of some ciyilization) and
they gave the name of Tiles of Texas to
a very large tract of country separated
from Mexico by the Rio Grande or Big
river.
At this time the missionaries were also
exploring the country north CT the So
nora by the way of the Gulf of Lower
California and the Colorado river from
Mexico. They arrived at a part where
were encountered many Indians who were
remarkable for having very large and
fattened noses, and the soldiers forming
the escort called that part of the country
Narizona or Big Noses.
Since then the name Norizona has been
abridged somewhat by dropping the let
ter n, and we have Arizona, becoming
every day more generally known by rea-
son of its reputed great mineral wealth.
Some writer has given the origin of the
word as being derived from "Arid Zone"
but the above is the true origin. Narizona
Big Nose, less the letter N, leaving it Ari-
Zona.
The Gulf of California, Lying between