Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-28
Origin Being Sought by Depart
ment Of Geological Survey.
10000 FOUND IN UNITED STATES
ottumWa Said to Mean sthe Place of
the Lone Chief" Also "Rapids' or
"Troubled Waters"-The List of In.
dian Names in the State.
Washington. D. G.. Aug. %.

The document treats the origin of GER
tain place names throughout the Unit
ed States and contains in all about
10000 names. The book is now in the
hands of the printer and will not be
issued for several days but on calling
at the geological survey department
was very kindly allowed by Editor
Warman to look over the rough proofs
as they had just been submitted by
the government printer. | spent some
time going over the sheets and found
Iowa to be so well represented that |
took list of the names of towns and
rivers and counties with the state
ments of their supposed origin. Dav-
export, it is stated, was named for
Colonel Davenport, an early settler
The list also shows that the town has
the honor of having another city nam
ed for it. There is a Davenport" in
Thayer county, Neb., that is named for
the Iowa Davenport. Rock Island is
named for the island in the river at
that point formed of lime stone, and
Moline is said to have gotten it's name
from Spanish word meaning, mill"
Ottumwa is an Indian name. The
original Indian word is said by some
authorities to mean "the place of the
lone chief" but it more probably
means rapids or troubled waters"
Muscatine is also one of the musi-
cal old Indian names. Some authori-
ties say that it means 'dweller in the
prairie" but according to another the
DRY it comes from a French and In
dian word 'Musquota," meaning
prairie" and tine" meaning dinin-
utive' In other words little
prairie"
The Names.
Many other Iowa place names with
their interesting origin, are given as
follows:
Ackley, Hardin county, laid out in
1857 by j. w. Ackley.
Adair county, named for General
John Adair, governor of Kentucky. &c
Adams, named for President Adams,
of the United States.
Abel, Dallas county, because situat-
ed on the delles of the North Raccoon
river.
Alton, Union county. named by Mrs
Baker, wife of one of the original pro-
prietors, for a little Scotland river i'm
mortalized by Burns.
Agency, so named because it is the
sight of an old Indian agency.
Ainsworth, named for d. II. Aims
worth civil engineer.
Alden, Hardin county. named for
Henry Alden, who settled there in
1854
Algona, derived from the Indian Ian
guage meaning Algonquin Waters, ;"
said to be the Indian name for Lake
Superior.
Allamakee. named for Allen Maker,
an Indian trader. ai.py
Alta. Buena Vista county from the
Latin word meaning high" because
the town is situated on the highest
point between the Mississippi and Mis-
souri, rivers.
Ames, Story county, named fer
Cakes Ames.
Anamosa, Jones county: some say
the name is that of the daughter of
the Indian chief, Nasines. Other au-
thorities say it is from an Indian word
meaning, you walk from me-
Andalusia, Qllinois), named from an
ancient province in Spain.
Appanoose county, from an Indian
word meaning chief when a child
Audubon. named for the famous orni-
biologist, John James Audubon.
Badger creek, named from the num-
erous presence of that animal.
Baldwin, Jackson county, named for
Judge Baldwin.
Beacon. Mahaska county, for Lord
| Beaconstield.
| Bennett, Lancaster county, for Chef
Bennett, railroad man.
Benton county, for Senator Thomas
Benton of Missouri.
| Berea, Adair county, from an ancient
city in Macedonia.
Bethel from the town of that name
in Palestine.
Blackhawk county, from the noted
Indian chief of that name.
Blairstown, Warren county, for John
|. Blair, of Blairs Gap.
Bonair, Howard county, from the
French words meaning good air."
Bondurant, Polk county, for A. c.
Bondurant.
Boone for Captain Boone, who cap
tured the Des Moines valley above
| Coon forks.
Bowen, Jones county, named fol
Hugh Bowen.
Bremen, for Frederika Bremen, the
Swedish authoress who spent some
time in this vicinitg about 1850.
Buchanan county, for President
James Buchanan.
Buena Vista, from the Spanish WORD
meaning beautiful view
Burt, Kossuth county, for the presi
dent of the Union Pacific railway.
Butler county, for Genera
| William o. Butler, of the Mexican war
Cass county, for General Lewis Cass
governor Of Michigan in 1920.
Checaqua river from the Indian
word meaning skunk"
Cherokee city and county, from the
Indian tribe and derived from theil
word meaning fire" or lower heav
en-"
Chickasaw, an Indian name. 1t. is
said that certain tribe divided on
account of fued zone branch took
the name of one brother Chickasaw
and sthe other brother. "Choctaw'
The meaning of the word is, rebels
or ''renegades."
Chillicothe. Wapello county, from
the name of an Indian tribe, means
town or City
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