Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-16

/ "a maTkeu degree, are CurlOusy uSh
Gent in ingenuity when they are
Iss$ called upon to name towns, rivers
SS or mountains. They seem bent
upon duplication, and, in conse-
quence, we have Washingtons, Jacksons,
Franklns, etc, in every State and Territory,
as applied to towns, counties, rivers, and SO
forth, until all distinction is lost.
Americans are also extremely fond OF
New" as a prefix, or else they use East,
west, North or South as prefxes until the
confusion becomes intolerable.
fortunately, the States and Territories were
named before this paucity of ideas began to
prevail although they did not all escape. 1t
has been frequently pointed out that New
YORK and New Jersey are very poor names tor
two great States, and washington" as the
name of State is in very bad taste Ia
coma" would have been much better. 1t
was also great mistake to create North
and South Dakota, while so many fine In
dian names could have been selected. But
people, particularly dull people, are stubborn
IN their ways, and we may be thankful that
we have not State called Jonesville or
Brownsburg.
ALABAMA takes it name from band OF
Mexican Indians that soon after the death
of Montezuma began to travel northward,
and, after a series of sanguinary struggles
with the Muscogees or Creeks, settled ON the
banks of the river that bears their name. III
is said to mean Here we rest"
ARKANSAS.-Th name is supposed to be
composed of the French word "Arc," bow,
and Kansas" the Indian for smoking wa
tiers, the combination of which, Bow OF
Smoking Waters" is applicable to the lead
ing stream of that State.
CALIFORNIA.-It has been claimed that
the name is derived from the Spanish words.
caliente fornalla, signifying "hot furnace and
which were suggested by the numerous hot
springs, geysers and beds of volcanic glass
that exist there; but this is improbable, as
Cortez never visited the interior of the coun
try, which he undoubtedly named upon its
discovery in 1886. II is quite probable that
he took the name from popular romance Of
the day, entitled "Sergus of Esplandian," in
which it is applied to an imaginary island ION
the right hand of the Indies" and very neal
to the Terrestrial Paradise" peopled by black
Amazons, whose "arms were all of gold, and
so were the comparisons of the wild beasts
which they rode after having tanned them, Tor
in all the island there is no other metal.
Cortez supposed he had reached that island,
''the strongest in the world, from, its steep
answered well for the region before him.
COLORADO-This word is the past parti-
ciple OF the Spanish colorar, to color. 1t
was SO called from its tinted peaks, its vege.
tation and the muddy OF forid appearance OF
its rivers.
CONNECTICUT.- is ,fssaotheG river
named State The Indians 90 I'D in Qninnini
ticut, "the long river" s aS
DELAWARE State Wakes It's mamie
from the river and bay named after Lord De
la Ware, one of the early governors of Viz
ginia.
FLORIDA.-It was on Easter Sunday, in
1912, that Ponce de Leon, while in search for
the Fountain Of Youth" landed on its east
ed his eyes reminded him that with his PEG.
pie the day was Pascua Florida, or Feast OF
Flowers and suggested the graceful name
the State now bears.
GEORGIA.-So named in honor of George
Ii, under whose patronage it was colonlzed.
ILLINOIS.-Thi name comes from the al.
gonauin word illini, meaning superior men,
and the change to the present spelling is due
to the French explorers, that it might con-
form more nearly to their own language.
INDIANA.-So called from the word en-
dian,' and first applied to tract of land ly-
ing on the Ohio River, above the Kanawha,
granted by the Fort Stanwix treaty of 1858
to Captain William Trent and other traders
for goods destroyed by the Indians, and when
It was given to that portion Of the Territory
now covered by the limits Of Ohio.
IOWA-The Iowa River, after which the