﻿ABORIGINAL 
  PLACE 
  NAMES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  6l 
  

  

  said 
  : 
  "The 
  Senecas 
  were 
  conversant 
  with 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   formerly 
  visited 
  the 
  salt 
  lick 
  or 
  spring 
  (on 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  creek) 
  

   in 
  this 
  vicinity, 
  and 
  hence 
  they 
  called 
  Buffalo 
  creek 
  Tick-e-ack- 
  

   gou-ga-ha-un-da, 
  and 
  Buffalo 
  village 
  Tick-e-ack-gou-ga," 
  the 
  

   latter 
  meaning 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  the 
  former 
  adding 
  creek. 
  To 
  

   this 
  Mr 
  Strong 
  replied, 
  allowing 
  the 
  name 
  and 
  definition, 
  but 
  

   adding 
  that 
  the 
  Senecas 
  said 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  people 
  lived 
  on 
  Buffalo 
  

   creek 
  and 
  became 
  a 
  great 
  fisherman. 
  He 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  Wolf 
  clan 
  

   and 
  his 
  name 
  was 
  De-gi-yah-go, 
  or 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  The 
  whites 
  found 
  

   him 
  there, 
  learned 
  his 
  name 
  and 
  its 
  meaning 
  and 
  called 
  the 
  creek 
  

   by 
  this. 
  The 
  explanation 
  is 
  simple 
  and 
  probable, 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  when 
  

   the 
  author 
  is 
  considered. 
  He 
  added 
  : 
  "I 
  have 
  been 
  trying 
  in 
  vain 
  

   to 
  find 
  a 
  river, 
  creek, 
  lake 
  or 
  mountain, 
  that 
  now 
  bears 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  any 
  herbivorous 
  animal 
  in 
  our 
  State." 
  He 
  referred, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   to 
  Iroquois 
  names, 
  for 
  moose 
  is 
  very 
  common. 
  

  

  Ca-ha-qua-ra-gha 
  was 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  Niagara 
  

   river 
  in 
  1726, 
  and 
  David 
  Cusick 
  applied 
  the 
  same 
  term 
  to 
  Lake 
  

   Erie, 
  writing 
  it 
  Kau-ha-gwa-rah-ka, 
  or 
  a 
  cap, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  correct 
  

   translation. 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  was 
  called 
  Cahiquage 
  in 
  1706, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   name 
  is 
  old. 
  Marshall 
  gave 
  the 
  Indian 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  

   the 
  name, 
  applying 
  it 
  to 
  Fort 
  Erie 
  and 
  translating 
  it 
  place 
  of 
  hats. 
  

   "Seneca 
  tradition 
  relates, 
  as 
  its 
  origin, 
  that 
  in 
  olden 
  time, 
  soon 
  after 
  

   the 
  first 
  visit 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  man, 
  a 
  battle 
  occurred 
  on 
  the 
  lake 
  between 
  

   a 
  party 
  of 
  French 
  in 
  bateaux 
  and 
  Indians 
  in 
  canoes. 
  The 
  latter 
  

   were 
  victorious, 
  and 
  the 
  French 
  boats 
  were 
  sunk 
  and 
  the 
  crews 
  

   drowned. 
  Their 
  hats 
  floated 
  ashore 
  where 
  the 
  fort 
  was 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  built, 
  and 
  attracting 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  from 
  their 
  

   novelty, 
  they 
  called 
  the 
  locality 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  hats." 
  Though 
  there 
  

   appears 
  no 
  historic 
  basis 
  for 
  the 
  story, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  accounting 
  

   for 
  this 
  curious 
  name. 
  Canquaga, 
  Schoolcraft's 
  name 
  for 
  a 
  stream 
  

   here, 
  may 
  be 
  from 
  this. 
  

  

  Ca-yu-ga 
  creek 
  was 
  so 
  called 
  from 
  a 
  recent 
  Cayuga 
  village 
  on 
  

   its 
  banks. 
  According 
  to 
  Mr 
  Morgan 
  its 
  Seneca 
  name 
  was 
  quite 
  

   different, 
  being 
  Ga-da'-geh, 
  through 
  the 
  oak 
  openings. 
  Mr 
  Marshall 
  

   also 
  called 
  the 
  Cayuga 
  or 
  north 
  branch 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  creek, 
  Gah- 
  

   dah'-geh, 
  but 
  translated 
  it 
  fishing 
  with 
  a 
  scoop 
  basket, 
  a 
  frequent 
  

   thing 
  there. 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  sure 
  which 
  is 
  right, 
  but 
  both 
  can 
  not 
  well 
  be 
  

   in 
  this 
  case. 
  

  

  