96 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



his report* is easily accessible and no question or argument 

 has been made as to the fairness and disinterestedness of the 

 investigator, few, if any, of our northern fellow-mountaineers 

 have given the report the recognition it deserves. On the 

 other hand, the press continues to issue misleading and er- 

 roneous statements. 



Professor Davidson was personally familiar with that sec- 

 tion of the country and spent six years' (1852-1857) continu- 

 ous service in the Puget Sound region. After carefully re- 

 viewing all the facts in the controversy, he decided that in 

 conformity with the usage of historians, geographers, and 

 Government records for more than a century, no change should 

 be made. He gives six criteria for determining the proper 

 use of a geographic name : 



1. By Governmental decree. 



2. The accepted right of a discovery in a new country with 

 uncivilized inhabitants or with no inhabitants. 



3. The long usage of geographers, navigators, travelers, 

 and historians. 



4. The general opinion of experts in either or all of the 

 preceding sources of authority. 



5. The striking peculiarity of the locality or object. 



6. The names adopted by any other country for geographic 

 objects. 



It appears that under all of these tests the proper name of 

 the mountain is Rainier. It is also shown that Tacoma was 

 not the original name, but an after-thought. There is much 

 uncertainty as to the exact meaning and proper pronunciation 

 of the word Tacoma. The original Indian pronunciation may 

 have been Tahoma, Tagoma, or Tacobet. It is in its essence 

 a tide-water name used by Indians who probably never as- 

 cended the mountain. And it may not be out of place to recall 

 that either from superstition, or from fear, or laziness, the noble 

 red man has never been a mountain climber ; and that even as 

 a guide for the lower reaches of the mountain, his services 

 were always of doubtful value. The word Tacoma is not 

 particularly appropriate for the mountain. Nisqually or 

 Ohanapecosh would naturally have preference over Tahoma. 



* It may be found in full in the Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 2, page 91. 



