jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (08/15/85)
Yes, that`s bizarre. And then there`s: Monkey`s Eyebrow, Kentucky! I'm serious! J. Marrs
mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) (08/16/85)
Mustn't forget Soul City, Va. How about wierd street names? In Columbia, Md., we must have the greatest collection on earth. "Lighted Lantern Way"? "Good Lion Court"? "Open Flower Court"? C Wingate
woof@hpfcla.UUCP (08/19/85)
How about Humptulips, Washington?
tw8023@pyuxii.UUCP (T Wheeler) (08/23/85)
Careful there folks, let's not malign one of my favorite spots in all of W. Washington. Humptulips, the garden crossroads of Grays Harbor County, where the forestry service barracks lie closs by the mighty Humptulips River, the home of mean Stealhead, fighting Silver Salmon, and cunning Cutthrout Trout. The turnoff spot for the road to Big Creek. The last chance to buy a Nehi Orange soda and a pack of two-fers. The only stop on the way to Quinault you can get gas. The hottest spot on a summer day in the county. One of the few places in the county where everyone (three houses) living on the flats has a rowboat tied to the front porch in case of flood. The area that produced countless (maybe two) right guards for the Hoquiam High School football team in their heyday. AND, where the best damn dances I ever attended were held in the Grange Hall during my misspent youth. Good old Humptulips. Population variously counted at around 20. Where the Elk herds have the right of way if you don't want your car destroyed. And, where bottom bumping in the river is an art form. Sighh, ah to return once more to the golden summers of youth. T. C. Wheeler
rich@aoa.UUCP (Rich Snow) (08/23/85)
> Monkey`s Eyebrow, Kentucky! I'm serious!
my favorite is Fish's Eddy, N.Y.
Rich Snow
...!{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!aoa!richrich@aoa.UUCP (Rich Snow) (08/23/85)
> How about wierd street names?
Sommerville, MA. really has an "Electric Avenue"!
rich snowknf@druxo.UUCP (FricklasK) (08/26/85)
My favorite local place-name story is the one about two Colorado small towns,
Fertile and Climax. A woman from the former had a fatal car accident in the
latter town. The resulting town paper headline read, "FERTILE WOMAN DIES IN
CLIMAX." Really. I've got a copy of the paper.
'`'`'`
Ken
'`'`'pnv@homxa.UUCP (P.VERMA) (08/29/85)
Hell, MI
peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (08/31/85)
> > Chicago comes from an Indian word meaning "cesspool". > > Scott Anderson > ihnp4!oddjob!kaos!sra According to "Trivial Pursuit, Genus II" (I know, a really authoritative source) Chicago comes from "Garlic Field".
jeq@laidbak.UUCP (Jonathan E. Quist) (09/03/85)
In article <142@graffiti.UUCP> peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: >> >> Chicago comes from an Indian word meaning "cesspool". >> >> Scott Anderson >> ihnp4!oddjob!kaos!sra > >According to "Trivial Pursuit, Genus II" (I know, a really authoritative >source) Chicago comes from "Garlic Field". Actually it's "Onion Field". The near north side (just north of the Loop) was a swamp before the river was reversed. An indigenous plant (don't know what type) that was around before the buildings went up gave of a smell like onions. The most popular local translation was ``Stinking Onion Patch.'' (Onions? We don't need no *stinking* *onions*!!!) jeq
sra@oddjob.UUCP (Scott R. Anderson) (09/03/85)
In article <200@laidbak.UUCP> jeq@laidbak.UUCP (Jonathan E. Quist) writes: >In article <142@graffiti.UUCP> peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: >>> >>> Chicago comes from an Indian word meaning "cesspool". >>> >>> Scott Anderson >> >>According to "Trivial Pursuit, Genus II" (I know, a really authoritative >>source) Chicago comes from "Garlic Field". > >Actually it's "Onion Field". The near north side (just north of >the Loop) was a swamp before the river was reversed. >An indigenous plant (don't know what type) that was around >before the buildings went up gave off a smell like onions. Hence my somewhat liberal translation. I wasn't going to let Chicago be outdone by Wanker's Corners! Scott Anderson ihnp4!oddjob!kaos!sra
kds@intelca.UUCP (Ken Shoemaker) (09/03/85)
> > > > Chicago comes from an Indian word meaning "cesspool". > > > > Scott Anderson > > ihnp4!oddjob!kaos!sra > > According to "Trivial Pursuit, Genus II" (I know, a really authoritative > source) Chicago comes from "Garlic Field". And here, I always thought it meant "wild onions," which really isn't that far from "garlic field." -- ...and I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody outside of a small circle of friends... Ken Shoemaker, Microprocessor Design for a large, Silicon Valley firm {pur-ee,hplabs,amd,scgvaxd,dual,qantel}!intelca!kds ---the above views are personal. They may not represent those of the employer of its submitter.
douglas@cxsea.UUCP (Douglas Wells) (09/05/85)
> In article <142@graffiti.UUCP> peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: > >> Chicago comes from an Indian word meaning "cesspool". > >> Scott Anderson > >> ihnp4!oddjob!kaos!sra > >According to "Trivial Pursuit, Genus II" (I know, a really authoritative > >source) Chicago comes from "Garlic Field". > > Actually it's "Onion Field". The near north side (just north of > the Loop) was a swamp before the river was reversed. > An indigenous plant (don't know what type) that was around > before the buildings went up gave of a smell like onions. > > The most popular local translation was ``Stinking Onion Patch.'' > (Onions? We don't need no *stinking* *onions*!!!) > > jeq According to an article that I read many years ago, that plant was the "ramp"(or "rampion" ???). This was said to be a really smelly plant savored by a select few illuminated connoisseurs, and that "ramp" festivals were still held in remote pockets of Appalachia. -- =============================================================== Douglas { uw-beaver fluke }!ssc-vax!cxsea!dwells!douglas Uncle Mail: 19115 W. Valley Hwy. - Suite H105; Kent, Washington 98032 Bell Mail: 206 - 251 - 6804 "Independent Truckers - The last American Cowboys"
ajs@hpfcla.UUCP (09/11/85)
The problem with posting bizarre place names is that there are just too many too choose from! For example, if you buy the US Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System data base for just one state (let's say, Colorado), and then you look only at FEATURE CLASS == ppl (population center), that gives you 780 names to review, from which it is easy to extract (and these are just the stranger ones)... 393058N 1075520W Anvil Points 392241N 1061059W Climax 393744N 1052144W Elephant Park 381645N 1043335W Fearnowville 381540N 1044010W Goodnight 401119N 1051049W Hygiene 384403N 1033207W Kkrval 394427N 1033528W Last Chance ... Alan Silverstein