Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-03-07
HOOSIER NAMES.
HOW SETTLEMENTS IN INDIANA
WERE CHRISTENED.
Dcvirs Backbone and Helrs Half Aero
Are Names OF Plsces-Bed Bug Flats
1, IA Rather Suggestive Name-Piace
Named Poliywog.


AS rule, Indiana towns and cities
have either been named in honor OF
prominent people, first settlers, or In
dams, or have been given their names
as the result of locality. Many of the
latter, however, can be traced back to
interesting origin. Elkhart. for eX-
ample. was named after Elkhart river.
and the Elkhart river was given its
name because there was an island in
the stream that the Indians fancied
resembled the heart Of an elk. Ander-
son, Muncie, Kokomo and other towns
whose names seem to be pure Ameri-
can. are traced to Indian origin. La
porte comes from the French, and the
explorers Of that nationality applied it
first to the beautiful prairias. Terre
Hante also comes from the French and
means beautiful rising ground or high
lands. Lagrange. another name of
French origin, was named after Count
Lafayette's chateau in France. North
Manchester, Hartford City. and many
other towns get their root from local-
ties from which settlers had emigratCd
Tell City was named after William
Tell. The derivation of Monticello
Mount Vernon and other cities of that
classification is not difficult to ascer-
tam. The name of the capital is a
happy combination of two root words
ana combined they tell the complete
story of the big Indiana city. The Or
igin Of the name Pigeon Roost tells
Its own story. Rising Sun and Aurora
the result of rivalry in naming
AFFORD ma 5nificent scenes of the morn
ing as viewed across the Ohio. Rock
port tells of another location on the
ohio' and one knows it by the character
OF its magnificent surroundings. There
are several versions of the origin OF
the name Strawtown, one of the most
unique in the state. One Is that the
huts We're all straw matched; the other
that 1t comes from the old chief, Straw.
French Lick Springs has its origin in
the fact that the saline waters attract
ed wild animals to the mud in the old
indian days, and that the deer and
other beasts licked up the salt. The
place became known as THE Licks. A"
West Baden, of course, has its origin
from the famous Baden springs in the
Old country. Crown Point tells its own
story. South Bend indicates that 1t is
on the south bend of the st. Joseph.
The list might be continued almost
indefinitely. Yankee Bill" Stewart
was reading in his weekly New York
Tribune Of the Brazilian revolution,
when the task Of christening the pr s.
ent town of Brazil fell to the pioneers.
The settlers hcd become involved in
the usual clash, and appealed to him
for a suggestion. He did not look up
from his paper, and, with an ci
Indifference, said; ooh, call her
boys" Governor William Henry
rison, riding through the forestN
the old Vincennes-Ohio Falls t,
heard the sweet voice of Jennie SmHv
singing the plaintive ballad 'Corydon;1
and it attracted him many times to the
Smith home, where he located the first
capital of the state and named it after
the song. Rockville is a city bullded
on rich alluvial deposit. and but two
rocks of any size can be found in the
town. There was the usual wrangling
between pioneer settlers, each of whom
wanted the town named after himself.
At last a stranger laid his hand on the
big rock and said: We'll, here's a fell
low that's been here longer'n any OF
off hn
flask of whisky in the crowd was
drained, and the town was christened
by the empty bottle being broken over
the fellow that's been here longer'n
any OF us" II is claimed the name
Henpeck comes from the fact that the
women fought and Fulton was named
simply because Robert Fulton there
stepped OFF the Orleans, the first steam
boat run on the Ohio or any inland
river Southern Indiana geography Is
interesting by reason of peculiar
names. The Kentuckians that came
over the river in the early part OF the
century chose peculiar names, and
many of those names still Cling to the
settlements. Jefferson county is a fair
example. A list given by the Madison
Courier inc .es; Chicken Run, Tur-
key Branch, Crow Falls, Carpet Alley,
The Dump. Gentry's Bluff, Rat Row.
'Possum Trot, Doe Run, DEVILS Back
Bone. Goat Hollow, Pin Hook, Hog
Trough, Happy Valley, Tin Town. Mud
Lick, Five Points, Lonesome Hollow,
Mollie's Run, Bed Bug Flats, Brushy
Fork, schnapp's Creek, Irish Hollow.
Wash Board, Murphy's Point, Hell's
Half Acre, Indian Sofa, Kilisonia, Wolf
Run, Rabbit Hash, Bloody Run, Low
ers' Lane, Rope Walk, Green Bay,
Shanty Town. Ten Cent Last Chance,
Sweet Gum, Pollywog, Eagle Hollow,
Bee Camp. Olive Branch. Pigs Eye,
Jenny Lind. Cripple Creek. Worlds
Fair, Sausage ROWE. 7. Lewis OF