The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-22
PECULIAR NAMES
INTERESTING AND AMUSING
 REVELATIONS.
Local History and Provincial Traits Reflected in the Names of Cities, Towns and
 Hamlets.

Ifamlets.
 It is sometimes boasted that in spite of the nations vastness, it is a homo- renous whole, So 1t is in language and patriotism through the impartial testi- mony of the Official Postal Guide, revised and published monthly by authority of the Postofiice Department. would seem to indicate that this is nation of pro- vinciais. says The New York Tribune. Every part of the country has It's own peculiar and particular traits, imprinted thereon by it's original settlers, its pre- ,vious inhabitants, the Indians: its nat ural surroundings or it's historical sig nificances or other causes. These traits are sure to be reflected in characteristic names which the various cities, towns and hamlets bear.
 Eastern States.
 The Eastern States show the most con ventionalism and the most originality There are more villes, tons, burgs, cen- tres and corners than in any other part of the Union The North has the most poetical and picturesque terms, more lakes and rivers. more Sun Prairies, Beav- CT Dams, Silver Bows and Lost Rivers. The West has more slang and cowboy expressions and a general breezy, free anu Gdcy Hhyt6 OL uVLnGuCldtuEC 1uC South has more downright oddity, more quaint, unexpected terms and comical comparisons. than all the rest of the United States put together. New Eng land, 1t seems, leads all for dullness and wearisome repetition. After having i'm pressed into service all the Falmouths. Pembrokes, Roxburys and Weymouths, she tacks North or South. East or West on to them as needs be, and starts out all over again. She has enough Manches- ters, Bristols. Shefields, Greenwiches. Lancasters and Nottinghams and enough New Londons. New Ipswiches. New Bed lords and New Gloucesters to start a miniature England of her own. There is touch of pathos in the Pilgrim Fath- CTS setting up these old home altars in their New World home. In the light of history, however. it Is surprising that this intense loyalty should have been followed by their descendants 15o years later, in pitching Mother England's tea in Boston harbor and rallying against her at Con. cord and Lexington.
 Tennessee.
 Tn strong contrast to this are the place names of Tennessee. Other States show curious and unexpected designations. but record of these peculiar names shows that Tennessee leads any other State InFe0 IO OUG th huAS gCSRCSSs AhOA~ &hO $50 names in this State that can only be classed as odd ones. Here are few specimens: Mouth of Wolf, Bald Hornet, Wild Goose, Parch Corn, Sawdust Valley, Darkey Springs, Hurricane Switch, Bell buckle, Peanut and Mousetail, Nettle- carrier, Calf Killer, Noah and the Ark, Kangaroo, Rattlesnake, Miser Dollar, Bride and sweetlips. There are Gum and Yum Yum, Boy and Scoot. Necessity, Halfpone and Barefoot, Castoria, Buck snort, A. B. C., Birthstone, Ho, Ipe, Jap and others. In fact, Tennessee has only twenty three towns in all bearing the commonplace prefixes of North, South, East and West, while Massachusetts alone has more than two hundred and fifty, and New York nearly four hundred and fifty of them.
 Florida and California.
 Florida and California reflect the real estate boomers skill. In these States the name sponsors have been too shrewd to give such nmase as Poverty Hill. Bar ren Plain or Muddy Lane. Florida has a Frostproof, Tropic, Winter Haven, Winter Garden, Winter Park, Orange Park and a half dozen other parks; she has Orange and Port Orange, Orange Heights and Orange Bend and eight other orange compounds. besides special varie- ties of orange by name-Satsuma, Man darine, Otaheite she has Cocoanut Grove, Palmetto, Palm Beach, Rosehifl, Rose wood, Lemon City, Olive, Mango and Citronelle: she has Casia and Magnolia. the Jessaamine and Myrtle, the Lily and Orchid; she claims both Eden and Para disc, her modesty stopping short only of Heaven itself.
 California, not to be outdone, has eight parks of her own. and more than twenty Ocean Views, Diamond Springs, Pacific Beaches, etc. She, too, has Evergreen and Summerland, Sunland and Sundale, Green Valley and Palmdale; the flowers Lotus, Oleander, etc., the fruits Apricot. Strawberry Valley She also claims Par adise and Mount Eben. and not content with these. adds Angel Island and New Jerusalem.
 Nevada and California.
 Nevada and Colorado names show that the mining industry ranks high in their dozen of Nevada names is a Gold Hill, Ruby Valley Bullion, or something of that sort. Wyoming names give a hint of lonesome mountain fastnesses. Iron Mountain. Black Buttes, Granite Canyon, Lone Tree and Lost Cabin are some of these typical Wyoming names. Arizona and Tennessee furnish most of the devil may-care expressions of the Union, there being such as Tombstone. Tip Top, Num- Der One Big Bug, Bumblebee. Chucka- luck, Gassaway, Ripskin, Skull Valley and Canyon Diablo. !
 That this is commercial nation is full ly illustrated by such postoffice names as the following: Competition, Combina-