Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-09
RAlNIER AND TACoMA.
How the Names Were First Applied
Theodore Wiuthrop's Trim

Theodore Winthrop's Trip.
Tho Seattle Journal publishes the
| following: "The recent visit of the
| Hon. S. $. Cox to Seattle rendered pos
| sible, curious enough. the settlement
| OF vexed question that has for long
| time been the cause of a great deal OF
| dissension and discussion in this seq
tion OF the country. 1t has settled be-
yond all question the fact that the
| proper name of the great mountain
which overshadows the entire sound
| region is the name which Seattle has
been in the habit Of giving it, namely,
Rainier We fancy our Tacoma
friends will be disposed to disagree
with this proposition, but the proof is
conclusive. Mr.. Cox brought with hi IN
a map secured from the Congressional
library, published in 1904, upon
which the western coast is plainly
defined. In the Cascade range of noun
tains q mountain clearly appears to
which the name of Mount Regnier is
appended. We don't believe that even
such ingenious people as we know our
Tacoma neighbOrs to be can go behind
the face OF returns such as these. The
evidence is final. All who have any re-
gard for history and tradition cannot
fail hereafter TO call themountain by
Its right name, which is none other
than Rainier
1t may be added that the name Ia
coma was never known till Theodore
Winthrop's remarkable book, '.The
Canoe and the Saddle" appeared in
November, 1862, says the Portland Ore
gonian. In 1852 Winthrow went to
Panama for William L. Aspinwall, and
visited California and Oregon the next
year. In August, 1853, he was at Puget
Sound, and resolved to return to the
east across the plains. His book, writ
ten in somewhat sophomorical style,
but remarkable for its poetic. i'm
aginative and descriptive passages,
gives an account of his voyage
with Indians in a canoe through Puget
sound and his horse back ride over the
Cascade mountains from Nesqually to
the Dalles, with Indian guides. In this
book the great mountain gets the name
Tacoma. Winthrop processes TO have
obtained the name from his Indian
guides. and he gives his imagination
CLAY in supernatural legend of the
mountain. 1t is probable that the name
Tacoma" was a result of his effort to
reproduce or initiate word given him
by his guides, who were Yakima In
dians. and that the word was common
one used by these Indians as term for
all snow-white mountain peaks. The
name of the city of Tacoma was taken
by its founders from Winthrop's book
Winthrop was killed at Big Bethel, Va,
early in the war of the rebellion, and
1.-The Canoe and Saddle" with other
books he had written, and which evil
IDENTIFY had lain some time IN his desk,
was published Immediately after his
death. Every citizen of Tacoma ought to
read the charming book that furnished
the name for their city, and everybody
else, for that matter, ought to read it,
too. Winthrop was but twenty-five
when he visited Puget Sound and passed
through the adventures that he relates
with admirable literary power.
The mountain was named by Van
couver, the man who first discovered
and explored the great inlet called
Puget Sound Puget was one of his
party. To the great mountain peak
east of Puget Sound Vancouver gave
the name Of Mount Rainier, in honor of
his friend, Admiral Rainier, of the
British navy. This was in 1923.
Mount Hood was also named by Van
couver's party in honor of Lord Hood OF
the British navy, the same who fought
with de Grasse, the French admiral, off
Chesapeake bay, in 1881, when the Eng
llsh were trying to relieve Lord Corn
wallis. whom Washington was besieg-
ing at Yorktown. The fact that Raj
nier is written "Regnier" on the map
produced by the Hon. S. S. Cox is due
to the notion of some one who heard the
name that is was of French origin, and
hence it was put in French form.