Native American Place and River Names in the Coshocton County Area The Coshocton area in the 18th century was the location of settlements of several Native American peoples, including the Delaware, , Wyandot, Caughnawaga and Mohican Indians. Coshocton The earliest reference occurred in 1755 in a French rendition of a Wyandot word spelled “Conchake” in French, but pronounced in the French language similar to “Cong-sha-keh”. The Wyandot word refers to a location or path of “Refuge” – Road to Refuge, River of Refuge, and Place of Refuge. All were used by the Wyandot in 1748 for refuge; a large band of Wyandot moved from the Sandusky area to the Coshocton area to escape the turmoil of a war. Later in the 1760s, the Wyandot invited the Delaware Indians to move to the area as a refuge from the pressure of white settlement growth in Pennsylvania. In April 1775, the Delaware founded a new capital for their Great Council named Goschachgünk in their language, which is phonetically quite similar. IF the word has a meaning is the Delaware language, a modern connotation as “Bacon Town” seems to fit best. Americans pronounced the name similar to “Co-shah-king”. Kokosing Kokosing is the name one of the tributary rivers which combine in western Coshocton County to form the Walhonding River. The word derives from the Delaware language word, Gokhos, which means for “owl”. Kokosing means “Where there are Owls” or “Place of Owls”. The area of the river is documented to have been “alive with owls” in the 18th century. A Native American village named Gokhosing was also located on the river in the 1770s. Mohican Mohican is the name of a Native American nation originally living north of the Hudson valley in the Lake George area. The people were culturally and linguistically closely related to the Delaware Indian peoples and some Mohicans migrated to the Coshocton area under the pressure of growing white settlements. The name is currently the name of one of the tributaries of the Walhonding River. A town named Mohican’s John’s Town was prominent in the 1750-1770 era, which was located near the headwaters of the river. Mohicans were also the first settlers of Gnadenhütten (German word meaning “Huts of Grace”) in 1773 and later moved to Lichtenau (German word meaning “Pasture of Light”) in Coshocton. This settlement occurred 16 years after the time frame of the famous novel and movie, Last of the Mohicans. The name derives from Muhheakunnuk, a locality name referring to the tidal water of the Hudson River, which is subject to ebb and flow of tides as far north as Albany. Muskingum Muskingum was both a river and village name in the 18th century. The earliest reference dates to 1750 to the name for a village at the forks of the rivers. The name of the river appears on maps dating to 1755. In the Delaware language, the name means Where there are Elk’s Eyes. The was called Elk’s Eye Creek by in 1750, who later was the guide for George Washington in his famous 1753 diplomatic trip to the French commander in western Pennsylvania. The meaning refers to the large eyes of animals such as elk and deer which congregated on the banks of the river. The forks of the Muskingum River was also called Muskingum in many 18th century accounts. Newcomerstown Newcomerstown is derived from the American name – Newcomer - for a great chief of the Delaware nation whose Delaware name was Netawatwees, meaning “Skilled Advisor”. The American name occurred first in 1754 when he was a signatory to an important message to the Governor of Pennsylvania. At that time he lived in western Pennsylvania. Later circa 1760 he moved to the current location of Newcomerstown, establishing a large town which was the location of the Great Council of the Delaware nation until 1775. Americans commonly referred to Indian towns by the name of the chief residing therein, hence Newcomer’s Town. The Delaware name for the town was Gekelemukpechünk, meaning “Still Water”, which was also the name for the slow moving creek which enters the Tuscarawas River there. One can see that creek today in and near central Newcomerstown. Tuscarawas Tuscarawas is the name of one of the tributary rivers of the Muskingum River. The name was also the name of a Delaware Indian village on its banks. The name is not a Delaware Indian word, however, but is a Wyandot word adopted by the Delaware, who pronounced its “R” letter as “L”. The Wyandot had invited the Delaware to settle in the area. The name means “open mouth of a steam”. The name first used as the village name circa 1760 and later adopted as the river name by the Americans. In 1755 the name of the river was Naguerre-Konnan which is an or Wyandot word meaning “place of the beaver”. Walhonding Walhonding derives directly from the Delaware Indian name – Walhanding - for the current Walhonding River and several villages on the river. The modern village of Walhonding is near one of those villages. The name derives from either the Delaware word, Walhandi, meaning ditch or trench, or is a verbal form of the word, Woalheen, meaning “to dig a hole” For example, Walheu means “he is digging a hole”. In 1758 and 1764, the Delaware peoples are documented as going up the Walhonding River seasonally to dig for roots. Alternatively, in the 19th century when the Delaware name was adopted by the Americans, the site was the location of the Walhonding Canal – a large, long ditch – which fit the Indian name quite well. A third possibility is the name referred to the high cliffs on the river, a Place of Gorges. Wakatomica Wakatomica was the name for a major Shawnee village near the current village of Wakatomica which existed in the 1760s and early 1770. The name means White Corn Town in the Shawnee language.

Sources and references for all the above name and river meanings are available on request. Some of the information is contained in three booklets available at the Johnson Humrickhouse Museum in Roscoe Village. Detailed citations and extensive references will be published in the Coshocton Frontier Handbook, expected to be available later in 2015. All the above information is documented in written records of the 18th and early 19th century.