Evening star., 1921-05-08
Indian Names of
Rivers and Creeks

nERSONS living in the Potomac
valley. or for that matter in the
valleys of most American rivers, have
become so familiar with Indian names
that they never stop to consider the
charm and oddity OF those names. In
the Potomac region. some of these
names have a jerky and disordered
look in print, bu. il spoken by per-
son who pronounces his English well.
the old words have tunefui sound
There is a note, perhaps several notes.
Of wild music in them. In the names
of Maryland and Virginia rivers and
creeks the memory Of Indian times IN
this part of the country is preservsd'
The spelling of these names by the
whites has been various, but it is
clear that the names Of these places.
as spoken by the Indian sounded to
the European settlers very like those
expressed by the letters with which
we have come to spell them.
Near Washington is Dogue creek.
which runs through the Mount Ner-
non lands and on which creek George
Washington's mill and his millers
house stood. There is Accotlnk creek
which also flows through the Mount
vernon lands, especially through thai
nar; OF the Mount Vernon estate
which was sold by Lorenzo Lewis.
SON Of Nellie Custis Lewis. and whicn
about 1850 came TO be settled by MEM
bers of the Society OF FRIENDS from
New Jersey. Then. there Is Accotink
bay, which is the wide mouth OF the
creek at it's junction with the Poto-
mac. Close by Accotink are Fohick
creek, Pohick bay and Pohick Church
which was The church OF the w ash-
ingtons or Mount Vernon. the Far
faxes of Belvoir the Masons OF Gun
ston Hall. and many other good or
ordinary. proud or plain people OIL
that historic neighborhood.
A little below Pohick bay, which
helps to form Gunston cove, IS Occo-
quan creek and it's bay, which IS car
ed OccoQuan bay. Somewhere on 'ne
shores OF this bay, it is eeneseo !
indeed it has not been proved 70 the
satisfaction OF historical scholars
there was a Jesuit mission. nearly a
century before the coming OF Euro
peans 20 the Chesapeake bay ana the
James river and the foundinS OF
Buii run. a stream made memorable
in the American civil war, hovs.
Relow occoquan and flowing through
Prince william and Stafford counties
into the Potomac river are tnc CFeSAS
Marumsco. Neabsco, Quantico-on
which ruins Of the early city Of Dunn
fries lie-and Chappawamsic- Chap
navamsic is also the name OF the
large and difficult swamps in the vi
cInity of Washington, and not so Tar
sway, on the other side of the river
in Maryland, is the extensive swamp
called Zakiah, also an Indian name.
Aouia creek Is another OF the In
dian-named waterways, and so 10 Ac-
cokeek creek, Va, which flows into
Potomac creek, which flows into the
Potomac river. and At the junction OF
Potomac creek and Potomac river in
the site Of the town OF the PotoV-
macks," which John Smith and his
fellow explorers OF the Potomac coun-
try marked down on their map in
1903.
county, is Passapatansy creek and
another creek called DoGue, which
empties into the Rappanhannock
river There is Motomkin point.
which is above Matthias point and
close by is Machodoc creek. Not far
away are Occupacia creek the Mar
riccossick and the Mattspony rivers.
Further down the Potomc on the
Virginia side are the Pedee. Currio-
men. Nomini and Yeocomico creeks or
rivers and King Copsico point.
Flowing into the Potomac from the
lands Of Maryland are the creeks;
wide as riverS. and sometimes called
rivers. Accokeek. PaEiunkey. Malta
woman, ChickomUxeH, the Nan1eEaoy
and the river Wtcomioo.