The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-04
NO POETRY IN THEIR SOULS.
How the Western Legislators Changed
the Old Indian Names.

~"
the Old Indian Names.
In only a few instances, relatively, have
the settlers of the 'Ncw West" in nam
ing the streams and mountains perpctu-
atcd the legends and the memory of the
heroes of the savage tribes that less han
two decades ago held almost uudisputcd
possession of the vast region ''beyond the
Missouri" The Indians speech, nearly
always cuphonious, ofteucr fingers with
the rivers and hills of New England than
here. says the Kansas City star. Our peo-
pie should have insisted more persistently
in,prcserving the beautiful sounds of the
Dacotahs. Cheycnncs, A~rapahoes and
Kiowas. Certainly "Ta-to-ka" strikes the
ear more pleasantly than skunk
creek and "Chetola.' "Ninnescah,' or
"Leoii' are more poetical than peter
ton" "Smithficld," or "Joncsboro."
Aside from the pure aesthetics of the
idea the Indians associated their legends,
traditions, or actual historic facts with a
locality. As Henry V. Of England coupled
the famous battle Of Agincourt with the
castle of that name near by, 50 the Amer
lean savage constructs his nomenclature
Of places from important or trivial incl-
dents. as the case may be, hat occurred
on the spot, and not in~frequently by the
preservation of these primitive appclla-
tions veritable history in our native
classics is secured. Ono Of the most
righteous vetoes ever pcnned was 10y the
late lamentcd Gov, John A. Martin Of
Kansas of "A bill changing the name Of
one Of the states historic towns Ia that of
some insignificant hamlet i'm the East,
from which "A few of its recently arrived
inhabitants had cmigrated. A literal
translation of many Of the indian names
would perhaps often shock the refined
tastes of our civilization. and that fact has
been assigned as "a unsuitable reason for
abandoning them: but as yet one person
In hundreds Of thousands know their
meaning the simple, beautiful sounds are
Invested Of their terror.
Another reason might he more properly
assigned; II Is almost impossible la write
Indian words and naiuo correctly in
English. TIE Eng ish alphabet has not
capacity for their expire ssinu. II ten white
men should sit down Ia write the word AN
Indian uttered, the probabilities are that
one-half of them would write IL differently
from the other half. II j. this which has
led To such a confusion in Indian diction-
aries. But i do not thiuk either Of the
foregoing propositions tenable Ia wholly
account for the abandonment of historic
Indian names; II IT,. rather, that some
obscure individual, becoming Interested
in a TOWNSHIP, insists upon giving his W
d~iscordant and meaningless name 10 the
newly born hamlet, hat may reach the
dignity and Importance Of a county seat.
Some years ago one of the newly or
ganizcd counties Of Kansas, through the
commendable efforts Of the representa-
tive, the Hon. e. J. Jones i'Bnfralo
Jones'l, was named "SeIluo-lah," in
honor OF one of the most remarkable
men Indian though he was-of any age.
He was the nventor of the Cherokee al
phaiet and "A greater man than even
Cadmus the PhTniciau. Congress al one
time c~ontemplat.d removing his remains
from northern Mexico. where he died,
u erecting a suitable monument over
them, but the idea was never carried out
so the magnificent area OF beautiful
prairie whose legal geographical limits
once bore his name was the only monn-
ment the great Se-Quo-Nah ever had: but
bc was even deprived 81 thai ly "A subse.
quent thouRhtless legislature.
The early miners of California seem Ia
have been singularly free from thai ego.
tism which las SO marrcd the nomcucla.
ture OF localities Of the NEW west" as
reference 10 the soft-sounding old Span.
ish or Italian names Of places on the man
of that state will attest.
wThe great plains" were once crowded
it'll localities whose then accepted titles
RE most perfect opponents of the deiln.
ition OF the word misnomcr, and l think
the individuals who In early days took up.
ON themselves thc task Of naming them
must have possessed "A vein 81 infinite
humor. They may have long been for,
gotten as civilization encrcachcd upon
their solitude, and they could o now be
found on a map. ] viii present q
few as memory recalls them: Bit
ter creek" was famous for the sweetest
and most delicious water. while "Sweet
water" was only riyaled in bitterness -,
EPSON salts. On "Dry creek" I reInem
Der General Gibbs was nearly drowned
some years ago because Of its immcns,
volume 81 water. MUD creek was 4
clear, pebbly brook, and ''Clear creek
was notorious for lis Shiny, treacheroui
mud. "peacb creek" was so called pre-
sumably, because the neanest tree Of tha'
character was a thousand miles away, IL
Missouri. aud Cedar DIN on accom-.
of its great distance from anything tha
looked like "a cedar. But, as Sbakespear