The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-02-01

Captain Cotfey. who is 50 well known
IN this city has quit the employment O
the Booth Go. He Will engage IN bust
ness in Manistique.
HE Sunday Sentinel which is pub.
fishing & series OF articles on the nomen-
clature of Wisconsin cities, has the fol.
lowing to say of Manitowoc:
The earliest mention of Manitovoc is
IN DIR. Morse's report of his Indian tour
OF 1870 where he mentions ian old Otto
wa chief living at Ma.nit-ou-wauk-the
river Of bad spirits" Other authorities
however do not make the place the abode
OF that kind Of spirits. For instance,
Alfred Brunson of Prairie du Chen. au-
thor OF many papers relating to early
times IN Wisconsin, gives this version:
'Manisovoc II from the Chippewa should
be MunedOO, a general name for spirit.
| The prefix or termination gives the kind
| of spirit intended. Munedooish means
devil, or evil spirit. Woe may be intend
! ed for owk, and munito may be intended
for munedoo, and if SO Munedoo-owk
alals Manitowoc, probably signifies the
| habltatlOn of the Good Spirit. The per-
| version or corruption of the word may
be from the imperfect photography of the
| white man Of the Indian language"
| Perry ii. Smith who has resided IN
ManltOwoc for fifty seven years, relates
that more than fifty yeurs ago he had
talk with very old and intelligent Chip
peWa Indian who translated the word
ManltOwOc into the Home of the
Spirits"
The Pilot within the last few years
| published definitions OF names of cities
of Indian origin, that OF Manitowoc beng
| much more plausible than what is given
above. But the issue in which these def
nitlons were gwen cannot be readily
found.
1t would be interesting and the matter.
would have some historic value as well.
If the origin of the names of all the towns
IN the county could be published and
thus the record preserved for future use,
should the history of the county be ever
written up.
The only towns whose names are of
possibly Mishlcott. Meme means pig
con. When the writer was a small boy
the woods IN a certain part of that town
were the nesting place OF an innumerable
number of pigeons. The Indians Toasted
on squads when in season. The Meme
river had its name changed by the white
settlers to Pigeon river, as also the lake
IN Liberty which is its source.
What is called Jambeau Greek in Glib
son derives It's name from the earliest his
toucal incident of the county. Jacques
NIeau, Frenchman, was employed as a
voyageur for the Northwest Fur Co. and
IN 1873 was appointed the company's
agent to establish trading posts on the
west shore of Lake Michigan. He start
ed from Nackinaw in July Of that year.
landed where Kewaunee now is, estab
lished Jack Knife post there and then
other post on Jambeau Creek, on tie
north bank in Section 2S and little
northwest Of the present site of the
school house. The Indians called him
Jean Beau, which soon was corrupted to
Jambeau and thus the creek took its
name. Before that it was known as Maui
Was. He established post OF the same
trip at Manitowoc Rapids. He left a
clerk at each of the places and pushed on
to Sheboygan and Milwaukee arriving at
the latter place about the middle of Au-
gust.
Cente1ille owes it's name to being
midway between Sheboygan and Manito-
voc. Sch swig is doubtless an import
ed name; 1t was first known as Abel, that
family being one of tho first settlers
Liberty was originally Buchanan and
had It's name changed by Joseph Steph-
enson, then an assemblyman, during the
war times, presumably as a patriotic
measure. 10 may correct this if it Is
error. Maple Grove covered large
area after it became town, originally it
was part of Manitowoc Rapids. Mishl-
colt had Its name changed to Saxonburg
"a portion Of the town is still known by
that name. 1t is possible that Newton
was named after the philosopher. Cato
after the Roman, kossuth, certainly was,
| after the Hungarian. Two Creeks and
Two Rivers are self-explanatory, -Rock-
land may also be considered SO. Coopers-
town, Eaton, Gibson and Maple Grove
derived their names either arbitrarily or
| from some local cause.
TO the end that facts which have historic
value may be preserved, those in posses
sion should send them in for publication.
Wien made matter of record they will
| be safe from loss.