THE ORIGIN OF AMERICAN STATE NAMES 



141 



Photograph from George I\. ^"-3 

 A LUMBER CART IN THE ZUNI MOUNTAINS OF NEW MEXICO 

 'Habitation of the God of War" is one of the fanciful meanings given to the name 



New Mexico, which is derived from that of our neighbor republic on the south. 

 Mexico's motto suggests a snowball — Crescit cundo (It increases by going). 



New 



former locality of theirs called "Ari- 

 zonac" or "Arizonaca," meaning "Place 

 of the Small Springs." It was located a 

 few miles from the present town of 

 Nogales, where, in about 1737, some cele- 

 brated nuggets of silver were found. 

 The word has no connection with the 

 meaning, "arid zone," sometimes given it. 



The Mormon State, Utah, takes its 

 name from the Ute tribe of Indians, who 

 lived in that section. The origin of the 

 name is unknown. 



Idaho is named from an Indian word 

 meaning "Gem of the Mountains" — a 

 most descriptive title for that highland 

 State. 



ELEVEN STATES NAMED FOR INDIVIDUALS 



It may be of interest to note the vari- 

 ous groups into which our State names 

 divide themselves. Eleven were named 

 for individuals, eight for rivers and lakes, 

 five for mountains, six for other natural 

 features, six for various Indian peoples, 

 four for Indian words, five for other 



lands, and one for a holy day, while two 

 are of unknown origin. 



It is to be regretted that our earlier 

 explorers have not been honored in our 

 State names. Columbus, de Soto, Ponce 

 de Leon, La Salle, Marquette, Lewis and 

 Clark, and others might appropriately 

 have States named for them rather than 

 obscure and little-known Indian tribes 

 and English and French sovereigns, who, 

 although we may respect their memory, 

 mean little to us today. And yet. might 

 not Indian terms have been employed in 

 State names with more discretion than 

 they were and with a more fitting sense 

 of the regions named? Penobscot or 

 Kennebec would make better State 

 names than Maine, Chesapeake than Vir- 

 ginia, Potomac than Maryland, and Ca- 

 tawba than the Carolinas. The case of 

 Kanawha versus West \ Irginia has al- 

 ready been noted. Would not Yosemite 

 have been a better State name than Cali- 

 fornia, and might not Oregon better have 

 been named Columbia, thus having both 



