Nebraska Place-Names

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism English, Department of 1-1-1925 Nebraska Place-Names Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick A.M. University of Nebraska Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/englishunsllc Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder A.M., "Nebraska Place-Names" (1925). University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism. 1. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/englishunsllc/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the English, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA STUDIES IN LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND CRITICISM NUMBER6 NEBRASKA PLACE-NAMES BY LILIAN LINDER FITZPATRICK, A.M. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE LOUISEPOUND, Ph.D., Department of English H. B. ALEXANDER,Ph.D., Department of Philosophy LOUIS H. GRAY, Ph.D., Department of Ancient Languages LINCOLN 1925 CONTENTS PLACE-NAMESOF NEBRASKA ALPHABETICALLIST OF COUNTIESAND THEIR LEADINGPLACE-NAMES ...................................... 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................... 148 PREFACE This study of Nebraska place-names is as exhaustive as 1 make it. Nevertheless it is not wholly complete. There are a few town names in many counties concerning which I could obtain no accurate information. Hence they are not entered. There are other names concerning which my information is deficient despite my best efforts. More- over Nebraska is a large state and new towns are con- stantly springing up, especially in the remoter counties. I would like to have the record for the state as complete as possible. Additional information and corrective or supple- mentary material, where these may be needed, will be gladly received by me. One could scarcely hope that a work entering such a multitude of details could be free from misstatements. Great pains were taken, however, to minimize the number of errors. Authoritative material is at hand for practically every statement made by me with regard to Nebraska place- names. In obtaining the information incorporated in this work not only was all available literature collated but an exten- sive correspondence was maintained with hundreds of peo- ple throughout the state, including county, state, and United States government officials, editors, bankers, and local historians. In fact any one was approached who seemed to possess the information needed. The list of those giving assistance is too long to be included in full. I am indebted to Professor Louise Pound of the De- partment of English of the University of Nebraska for the suggestion that a study of Nebraska place-names might be both valuable and interesting, and also for her aid during the progress of the work. I am under especial obligations to Grant L. Shumway, the historian of the western counties of Nebraska, for very material aid with reference to Scotts Bluff, Banner, Morrill, Box Butte, and Sioux counties. Dr. Melvin R. Gilmore gave his kindly attention to the place-names of Indian origin and made many valuable 0 additions and corrections. Hon. C. H. Morrill of Stroms- burg gave valuable information in a number of instances. Mr. D. T. Heynen, county clerk of Kimball county, contributed much of the information for Kimball county. Miss Mabel E. Swanson of Holdrege gave the same service for Phelps county, Mr. H. 0. Smith of Lexington for Daw- son county, Mr. S. C. Bassett of Gibbon for Buffalo county, Judge Ira E. Tash of Alliance for Box Butte county, J. W. Barton of Bartley for Frontier county, J. S. Dellinger of Astoria, Oregon, for Grant county, John Armour, county clerk, Gandy, for Logan county, Ira E. Cumpston of Tryon for McPherson county, John Howe of Stockville for Frontier county, J. C. Puckett of Indianola for Red Willow county, T. J. Scott, Register of Deeds, Kearney, for Buffalo county, Charles W. Meeker and James Burke, Imperial, for Chase county, Harold J. Cook, Agate, for Sioux county, J. E. Thackrey, Simeon, for Cherry county, Leslie Roseberry, Lincoln, for Cherry and Hooker counties, and Emma N. Andersen for Dodge county. I am under many obligations to Professor T. J. Fitz- patrick. He financed the investigation, planned the method of procedure, suggested the arrangement of the material, and through the entire work was mentor, guide, critic, and proof reader. During my absence from Ne- braska he continued the investigation and brought the work to its present state of Completion. LILIAN L. FITZPATRICI<. Bethany, Nebraska. INTRODUCTION A study of Nebraska place-names reveals six general classes, as follows: (1) A class containing personal names, such as the surnames of early settlers, railroad officials, prominent men, etc. ; (2) names derived from local features or characteristics, i. e., names descriptive of localities; (3) names transferred from foreign places; (4) Indian names; (5) original or coined names; (6) miscellaneous names. The same grouping holds for the names of Ne- braska counties except that there are no original or coined names for counties. Of these groups the first includes over fifty per cent of the county names. At least eleven of these. names are derived from presidents of the United States, for example Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Fillmore, Pierce, Lincoln, and Grant. The next largest group includes the counties named for famous generals. A few of these are Custer, Kearney, Logan, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Wayne, and Hooker. Statesmen and men in poli- tics also play a prominent part in county names, since six- teen per cent of the total number are derived from them. Two counties, Nuckolls and Dixon, are named for pioneers; and two, Harlan and Keith, are named for prominent local men. One county, Merrick, is named for a woman, Miss Elvira Merrick, wife of the representative who introduced the bill for the establishment of the county. Among the counties the names of which are descriptive of localities are Valley, Rock, Saline, and Box Butte, all of which are derived from local characteristics. The names Antelope and Buffalo suggest that these animals were natives d the vicinities at the time the counties wer-e named. The name Cedar is descriptive of the trees in this county. - The name Frontier is both interesting and pic- turesque since it indicates that this county seemed to its namers to be located on the border of civilization. Three counties, Lancaster, York, and Madison have ilames transferred from foreign places, Both Lancaster and York are names derived from counties in Pennsylvania which in turn derived their names from counties in Eng- land. The name Madison is taken from Madison county, Wisconsin, from which the majority of settlers in the Ne- braska county came. Seven counties bear Indian names and one county, Red Willow, has for its name the English translation of an Indian word. Of these counties six, Cheyenne, Dakota, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, and Sioux, are named for Indian tribes. The seventh county, Keya Paha, has a name descriptive of the small hills in its vicinity. A direct translation of the words Keya Paha is "turtle hill". The re- maining county, Red Willow, is a mis-translation of the Dakota name Chan-shasha Wakpala, literally Red Dogwood Creek, this shrub being abundant along its banks. The last and smallest class, that of miscellaneous names, includes only two county names. Banner and Gar- den. The name Banner is interesting and is rather unusual in the sense in which it is used. It was intended by its creators to indicate that this county would be the leading or "banner" county of the state. In this class may also be placed Garden county. Its creators expected it to become the "garden spot" of the state. The majority of Nebraska towns have been given personal names, chiefly the surnames of pioneers, early railroad officials, and prominent men. Of these groups, the first is by far the largest, for over two hundred places named for early settlers may be recorded. Of this number about seventy places are named for their first postmasters to whom much credit is due for establishing the first means of communication with the outside world. Fifteen or more towns are named for their founders, some of whom were settlers and homesteaders and others members of town- site companies. The next largest group includes the towns named for early officials on the railroads. A few of these officials, such as those after whom were named Steele, Hast- ings, Sidney, and Blair, held important positions; but the majority were engineers, conductors, surveyors, and even ordinary workmen. In the general ~la~~ifi~ati~nof towns named for men, the majority are named for men of national celebrity. Of this number Grant, Pierce, Mon- roe, Garfield, Lincoln, and Hayes are represented among the presidents. Several towns, however, e. g., Bancroft, Emerson, Dumas, Lowell, Dickens, Ruskin, and Byron, are named for famous writers of whom only three are American. Famous generals are remembered in the towns Grant, Havelock, Ord, Martel, Sheridan, and Kearney, Two of these generals, Martel, the eighth-century king of the Franks, and Havelock, the British general, were foreign leaders. Political leaders are prominent in the naming of many towns, some of the most important of whom are Gresham, Kennard, Cuming, Colfax, Calhoun, and Norris. De Soto and Frkmont are represented among the explorers and Franklin and Gladstone among the famous statesmen. Two towns, Coleridge and Hartington, are named for Eng- lish lords who happened to be traveling in this country at the time when the towns were established. Even the scien- tists are remembered, witness the towns of Huxley and Humboldt which were named by early Nebraska citizens who studied and enjoyed the works of these men.

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