USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and. > Part 4
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Racine County, State of Wisconsin. From the French word meaning "root." County seat, Racine; named from the county. The river on which Racine is located is called Root River.
Redwood County, State of Minnesota. The Indian name (Dakota-Sioux) for "the cornel," (a species of cornus) a bush plentiful on Redwood River.
County seat, Redwood Falls; named from the county name added to the word "falls."
Rock County, State of Nebraska. Named on account of its rocky soil.
County seat, Bassett; was named for J. W. Bassett, a ranchman, who in 1871, took the first "bunch" of cattle into the county, to test the quality and fitness of the native grasses for cattle food, and who thus became the "father" of one of the most important industries of the state.
Rock County, State of Wisconsin. Named on account of its rocky soil.
County seat, Janesville; was named for Henry F. Janes, who settled here in 1836.
Sac County, State of Iowa. Named for the Sac Indian tribe. The word refers to "yellow earth." The proper word is Ozaukee. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1856.
County seat, Sac City. The county seat was named from the county.
Sauk County, State of Wisconsin. This came from the name of an Indian tribe-the Sauk (or Sac), meaning "people at mouth of river."
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
County seat, Baraboo; the city was named for Jean Baribault, a French settler. Some have supposed that the city was named for Captain Bara- beary of Morgan's Expedition against the Indians, but that supposition must be wrong for Baribault lived here before Morgan's expedition and the location then was called "Baribault's."
Saunders County, State of Nebraska. Named for Gov. Alvin Saunders.
County seat, Wahoo; named from an Indian word said to mean a species of the elm tree. The name was first used in Georgia as the name of a village there, and is doubtless a Choctow Indian word.
Seward County, State of Nebraska. Named for W. H. Seward of New York. County seat, Seward; named from the county.
Shawano County, State of Wisconsin. From the Ojibway Indian word sh-aw-a- nong, meaning "of the south."
County seat, Shawano, and was named from the county.
Sheboygan County, State of Wisconsin. From the Ojibway Indian word jibai- gan, meaning "a perforated thing" (like a pipestem).
County seat, Sheboygan; named from the county. (See Sheboygan in the alphabetical list of place names).
Shelby County, State of Iowa. Named for Gen. Isaac Shelby of the Revolu- tionary War. The county was created in 1850 and organized in 1853.
County seat, Harlan; was named for United States Senator J. M. Harlan of Iowa, and was made the county seat in 1858.
Sheridan County, State of Nebraska. Named for Gen. Philip H. Sheridan.
County seat, Rushville; so named because of the great growth of rushes there.
Sioux County, State of Iowa. Named for the Dakota or Sioux Indians. The word is an abbreviation of their Ojibway name and means "little snakes" or "enemies."
County seat, Harrison; it is supposed to have been named for ex-President W. H. Harrison.
Spink County, State of South Dakota. Named for S. L. Spink, a congressman. County seat, Redfield; this county seat was named to honor Joseph B. Redfield, then and now one of the oldest officers of the Chicago and North Western Railway Company.
Stanley County, State of South Dakota. Was named for Gen. D. S. Stanley of the United States Army.
County seat, Fort Pierre; was named from an old Indian trading post or fort, that was owned by the Choteaus of St. Louis, Mo., and it was named for Pierre Choteau, Jr. (See Fort Pierre in this book for a fuller descrip- tion of that place).
Stanton County, State of Nebraska. Named for Edwin M. Stanton, the great war secretary of the War of the Rebellion.
County seat, Stanton; named from the county.
Stark County, State of Illinois. Named for Gen. John Stark of the American Revolution.
County seat, Toulon; named from a postoffice in Tennessee, and that was named from the French city.
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
Steel County, State of Minnesota. Named for Franklin Steel of Minneapolis, a "town-site boomer."
County seat, Owatonna; this is from an Indian word meaning "straight river." (See Owatonna in alphabetical list in this book).
Stephenson County, State of Illinois. Named for Col. Benjamin Stephenson of the War of 1812.
County seat, Freeport: This name was first applied by his wife to the home of William Baker, an early settler, because of his unbounded and continuous hospitality. The name clung to the settlement and became the name of the city.
Story County, State of Iowa. Named for Joseph Story, the great judge of the United States Supreme Court. The county was created in 1846 and organ- ized in 1853.
County seat, Nevada; named by the county commissioners, for the state of Nevada. It was platted in 1853.
Tama County, State of Iowa. The name is an elision of the Indian word Tai-mah-a and means "lovely, " "beautiful," "pleasant." It is supposed that Tai-mah-a was the wife of a Fox Indian chief. Another version is that Tai-mah-a was the name of the chief and not of his wife, and that the word meant "bear whose voice makes the rocks tremble." The county was created in 1843 and organized in 1852.
County seat, Toledo. The site was selected as county seat by Commission- ers J. M. Ferguson and R. B. Ogden. They named the site from Toledo, Ohio, and that was named from the city in Spain. (See Tama in alpha- betical list of places).
Thayer County, State of Nebraska. Named for Gov. John M. Thayer of Nebraska.
County seat, Hebron; named from the ancient place in Palestine, Asia.
Trempeleau County, State of Wisconsin. Named from an island in the Mis- sissippi River. It's name came from the French mont qui trempe a l' cau, meaning "mountain that stands in the water."
County seat, Whitehall; this name was given it by B. F. Wing the original owner of the town site, from Whitehall, Ill., and that was named from Whitehall, N. Y.
Turner County, State of South Dakota. Named for J. W. Turner, a Dakota legislator.
County seat, Parker; named for the wife of a railroad civil engineer.
Union County, State of South Dakota. Named for the expression of the senti- ment that should actuate all the people of the United States.
County seat, Elk Point. Was so named on account of the presence there of elk when the place was first settled. It was also the Indian name for the point of timber that stood at the bend of the river where the village now is. It was in common use in 1842, as Audubon in the account of his travels says: "We camped at Elk Point."
Vilas County, State of Wisconsin. Named for United States Senator from Wisconsin and Postmaster General William F. Vilas.
County seat, Eagle River; named from the river, and the river was named for the translation of the Indian word mi-gis-i-wis-i-bi, meaning "eagle."
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
Wabasha County, State of Minnesota. Named for the Dakota-Sioux Indian chief Wapashaw, which means "red leaf, " or "red cap" or "red flag." County seat, Wabasha; named from the county.
Walworth County, State of Wisconsin. Named for Chancellor R. H. Walworth of New York.
County seat, Elkhorn; was named from the Elkhorn prairie and this was named by Samuel F. Phoenix in 1836 on finding an elk's horn upon a tree there.
Weseca County, State of Minnesota. Named from the Sioux Indian word Wash-echa, meaning "land of plenty," "good hunting ground," "red earth" and "red paint."
County seat, Waseca; named from the county.
Washington County, State of Nebraska. Named for Gen. George Washington. County seat, Blair; which was named for John I. Blair of Blairstown, N. J. Washington County, State of Wisconsin. Named for Gen. George Washington. County seat, West Bend; named from the bend in the Milwaukee River at this point.
Watonwan County, State of Minnesota. A Dakota (Sioux) Indian word mean- ing "fish bait" or "where there are plenty fish."
County seat, St. James; named for James Purington, the first settler.
Waukesha County, State of Wisconsin. From an Algonquin Indian word Wauk- taha, meaning "fox."
County seat, Waukesha; was named from the county.
Waupaca County, State of Wisconsin. Was named from the Menominee Indian word meaning "pale water."
County seat, Waupaca; named from the county.
Waushara County, State of Wisconsin. Named from the Indian word meaning "good land." County seat, Wautoma. This word was made by adding two syllables of Indian words together, viz: Wau from Waugh and Toma from Tomah, and the two are supposed to mean "good earth" or "good life." Tomah was the name of an Indian chief.
Webster County, State of Iowa. Named for Daniel Webster of Massachusetts. The county was established and organized in 1853. It was once called Ham- ilton for Alexander Hamilton, the American statesman.
County seat, Fort Dodge. This was named for the old United States mili- tary post that was here and that was named for United States Senator Dodge of Wisconsin. The town was laid out by Maj. W. Williams in 1854 and was named by him.
Whiteside County, State of Illinois. Was named for Capt. Samuel Whiteside of the War of 1812 and the Blackhawk War.
County seat, Morrison; was named for Charles .Morrison of New York City. Winnebago County, State of Illinois. Named for the Winnebago tribe of Indians. It means "the stinking people" or "the people of the stinking waters."
County seat, Rockford. It was named because of its location at the rocky ford of the Rock River.
Winnebago County, State of Iowa. Named for the tribe of Indians. It means "the people of the stinking waters" or "the stinking people." The county was established in 1851 but was not organized until 1857.
County seat, Forest City; was named because of the forest that covered its
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
site when located. The town was laid out by Judge Robert Clark in 1856 and was made the county seat in 1858.
Winnebago County, State of Wisconsin. Named for the Winnebago tribe of Indians. It means "the people of the stinking waters."
County seat, Oshkosh; named for Oshkosh, an Indian chief. His name was said to mean "nail" or "claw."
Winona County, State of Minnesota. A Sioux Indian word meaning "first born daughter." County seat, Winona; named from the county.
Wood County, State of Wisconsin. Named for Joseph Wood, a member of the Wisconsin legislature.
County seat, Grand Rapids; named from the rapids in the Wisconsin River. Woodbury County, State of Iowa. Named for Levi Woodbury of New Hamp- shire. The county was created under the name of Wan-kan in 1851. It was changed to Woodbury in 1853.
County seat, Sioux City; named for the Dakota or Sioux Indians. The French in 1785, called the tribe "LaSues," while Capt. George Crogan at the same time called them "La Suil." (For origin of this name see Sioux City and Sioux Rapids in another place in this book.) The town was platted in 1854 and made the county seat in 1855.
Worth County, State of Iowa. Named for Gen. W. J. Worth of Mexican war fame. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1851.
County seat, Northwood; G. O. Mellem, the first white man that settled in this county, built his house on the present site of Northwood. When the town was started on his claim, the original town was called Gulbrand. South of the town was a grove of timber which the people called "The South Woods." North of the town was another grove of timber called by the people "The North Woods." The first postmaster that was appointed lived near the North Grove and therefore the post office was called Northwood. This postmaster kept the post office in the house where he lived, but the second postmaster lived in the original town of Gulbrand, and the post office was moved to that place. The name of the post office was never changed but the town has been called Northwood since that time.
Wright County, State of Iowa. Named for Hon. Joseph A. Wright, governor of Indiana, and Silas Wright a statesman of New York. The county was established in 1851.
County seat, Clarion; its first name was Grant, but in 1870, it was, by vote of the board of county commissioners changed for the present name. The reason for the change is now forgotten and lost. The original town was platted in 1856.
Yankton County, State of South Dakota. A corruption of the Sioux Indian name Thanktonwan, meaning "end of village."
County seat, Yankton; named from the county.
Yellow Medicine County, State of Minnesota. A translation of the Sioux Indian name for the river. It referred to the menispernum canadenses ("moon seed") plant that abounds on the river banks. The plant was used as a medicine by the Indians.
County seat, Granite Falls; named because of the presence of great masses of granite rock there.
York County, State of Nebraska. Named for the family of an early settler in the county. County seat, York; named from the county.
AS TO THE
CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.
THE TOWNS;
THEIR NAMES AND THE ORIGIN THEREOF.
Aberdeen, Brown County, South Dakota, was named from the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, by Alexander Mitchell of Milwaukee, Wis.
Abie, Butler County, Nebraska, was platted by the "Pioneer Townsite company in 1887 and named for Mrs. Abbie Stevens, a pioneer merchant near that place. For a now unknown reason one of the "b's" in the name was dropped and the present spelling was adopted.'
Ablemans, Sauk County, Wisconsin, was named for Col. S. V. R. Ableman who settled here in 1851. At an early day the place was called Ableman's Mills from a flour mill there owned by Col. Ableman; then the name was changed to Rock Springs from springs running out from rocks in the river bank, but finally the present name was definitely fixed to the place.
Afton, Rock County, Wisconsin, was named in 1857-1858 by Robert Harris, the then Superintendent of the Beloit and Madison railroad, from the name in Robert Burns' song "Flow gently sweet Afton among thy green braes." The name of the place until changed by Mr. Harris was Middleton.
Ainsworth, Brown County, Nebraska, was platted by the Pioneer Town Site company in 1883, and named for J. E. Ainsworth, the Chief Engineer for twenty years of the Sioux City and Pacific and the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroads.
Ajax, Pennington County, South Dakota, was named for a Greek hero in Ho- mer's Illiad.
Akron, Peoria County, Illinois, was named from Akron, Ohio, whence many of the nearby settlers had emigrated. The Greek word, Akron, from which the Ohio city was named, means "summit" or "peak."
Albion, Boone County, Nebraska. This town was named from Albion, Mich. That place was named from a place in Maine, and that from an ancient name for England.
* NOTE-The Pioneer Town Site Co., the Western Town Lot Co., and the Wisconsin Town Lot Co., that are named in connection with the platting or establishing of the certain towns that are mentioned in this history were com- panies that were incorporated in the interest of the Chicago and North Western Railway company for the purpose of securing the land needed for town sites, and the subdividing and platting it and placing the town lots on the market at reasonable rates, so that the settlers should not be at the mercy of the town lot speculators and be obliged to pay extortionate prices as usually is the case where he is allowed to control. All of the proceeds secured from the sale of the lots belonged to and reached the treasury of the railroad company.
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
Alcester, Union County, South Dakota, was named for Col. Alcester of the Brit- ish Army, who about the time this station was established, had made a very heroic fight in a battle in Egypt. It was platted by the Western Town Lot company in 1883.
Alden, McHenry County, Illinois, was named by Frank Wedgewood, an early settler, for John Alden of early Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts) history. Alden, Hardin County, Iowa, was named for John Alden who was a governor and magistrate for more than fifty years of the Plymouth Colony, the site of the earliest Pilgrim settlements in what now is Massachusetts. He died in 1687, aged 89 years. He was noted for having proposed the marriage of Miles Standish to a pilgrim lady who replied, "Prithee John, why do you not speak for yourself." Thereupon he did speak for himself and married the lady. Longfellow made it the subject of a poem.
Alder, Ashland County, Wisconsin, was so named because of the growth of "black (hoary) alder" (Alnus incana) that abounds in this locality.
Alecto, Delta County, Michigan. The name came from heathen mythology and was adopted for the name of the town as it was an easy word to speak and to use in telegraphing.
Algona, Kossuth County, Iowa, was named by the wife of Judge . A. C. Call. The original name was Call's Grove, for Judge Call, who located here in 1854. The town was platted in 1856 by Judge Call and J. W. Moore. The name Algona is Algonquin Indian and meant "Algonquin waters, " or the waters (lakes, streams, etc., etc.) that belong to the Algonquin Indians. Algoma has the same meaning.
Algonquin, McHenry County, Illinois, was named by John B. Turner for the Indian family of that name. There is a tradition that Samuel Edwards, an early settler, suggested the name to Mr. Turner and claimed that it was the name of a ship in which he had sailed.
Allenville. Winnebago County, Wisconsin, was named by and for Timothy Allen, who owned the land on which the railroad depot was established.
Allis, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, was named for E. P. Allis, the founder of the corporation that started the town; he was for many years the head of a large manufacturing concern in Milwaukee.
Almond, Portage County, Wisconsin, was named by Elison Doolittle in 1850, from a town in New York State.
Almont, Clinton County Iowa, was named by Isaac B. Howe, once Chief En- gineer of the Iowa Midland Railroad, for Gen. Almonte of Mexico. The final "e" was dropped for euphony.
Almora, Kane County, Illinois, was named from a European city.
Altamont, Deuel County, South Dakota, was named by the surveyor who laid out the town site, because of the hilly country surrounding it. It was platted by the Western Town Lot Company in 1880.
Alton, Sioux County, Iowa. The original name was East Orange; it then was changed to Orange City, but in 1882 the citizens changed the name to Alton, after the city of that name in Illinois and Alton in New Hampshire, both these getting the name from Alton, a town in England. The "Orange" names were given for William the Silent, Count of Nassau and Prince of Orange, to honor the many Hollanders who are settled in this county.
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
Amasa, Iron County, Michigan. The name was suggested by Pickands, Mather & Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, in honor of Amasa Stone of that city.
Amber, Jones County, Iowa. The original name was "Blue Cut," but this was changed to Amber in 1878 by J. C. Ramsay, for a prominent character he found in a novel published in the New York Tribune about the time that the town was named.
Ames, Story County, Iowa, was named for Oakes Ames of Massachusetts, by John I. Blair, on account of his aid in the building of railroads in the West; the town was laid out in 1865.
Amiret, Lyon County, Minnesota, was named for the wife of M. L. Sykes, who for more than a generation was Vice President of the Chicago and North Western Railway company. The town site was taken under contract by the Winona and St. Peter Railroad company in 1875. The original name of the town was Saratoga, from the city of that name in New York State. Anamosa, Jones County, Iowa, is a corruption of a Sauk Indian name that is generally applied to females. It also refers to a litter of puppies or foxes with eyes not yet open. A modern legend claimed that the word meant "White Fawn" and was the name of an Indian girl who lived at this place in 1842; and that her father was named Nas-i-mus, but no evidence has been obtained to confirm the story. E. M. Haines in his "American Indians" says the word means "You walk with me." The town was laid out in 1841 and was called Lexington. It was made the county seat in 1847. Anderson, Menominee County, Michigan, was named for John Anderson, who was located nearby, and was a dealer in firewood.
Anderson, Steele County, Minnesota, was named for William Anderson, a nearby land owner and farmer.
Anderson's Mills, Grant County, Wisconsin, was named for the owner of a mill that was here when the station was established.
Andover, Clinton County, Iowa, was named by C. C. Wheeler, an officer of the Chicago and North Western Railway company, from a town in Vermont; that was named from a town in England.
Andrews, Sioux County, Nebraska. This town was named for J. W. Andrews, the engineer who located the railroad through this part of the county.
Aniwa, Shawano County, Wisconsin. The name is a corruption of the Chippewa Indian word an-i-wi, meaning "those," a prefix signifying reciprocity.
Ankeney, Polk County, Iowa, was named by and for J. F. Ankeney, the original owner of the town site.
Anoka, Boyd County, Nebraska, was named from a place in Minnesota, and is an Indian word meaning "on both sides;" the town in Minnesota being on both sides of Rum River. The Nebraska town was laid out by the Pioneer Town Site company in 1902.
Anston, Brown County, Wisconsin, was named for a family of the vicinity. Antigo, Langlade County, Wisconsin. The name is taken from the Indian word nee-quee-antigo-sebi. Antigo here meaning "evergreen," or "water run- ning under evergreens," or "where evergreens can always be found."
Antoine, Dickinson County, Michigan, was named from the adjacent lake, which was named for Antoine Le Beau an early French-Indian hunter and trapper who lived on the lake shore.
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
Appleby, Codington County, South Dakota. Named for the inventor of the Appleby twine binder in recognition of the value his machine had been and would be to the farmers of Dakota. This town was platted by the Wes- tern Town Lot company in 1884.
Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin. The station was named from the city of Appleton which was named for Samuel Appleton of Boston, who was in- strumental in endowing the Lawrence University that is located in Ap- pleton.
Appleton Junction, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, was named from the city of Appleton because of its nearness to that place.
Appleton Mine, Dickinson County, Michigan, was named from a nearby iron mine and that was named for a prominent Boston, Mass., family.
Arabia, Cherry County, Nebraska, was named by Henry V. Ferguson, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Arabia in Asia, as he fancied the soil around this place resembled the "desert sands of Arabia." This assumption proved to be wrong as the soil was found to be very rich and productive.
Arapahoe, Fremont County, Wyoming. The town was platted by the Pioneer Town Site company and was named from a nearby Arapahoe Indian res- ervation. The name is that of a noted Indian tribe and signifies "traders." The Arapahoes are a remarkable tribe of Indians. They call themselves Henaunauanauau, the chosen people. They worship God under the name Hejauneaauthau, "the Stranger on High." Their religion, past his- tory, and traditions have been preserved, handed down orally, by a secret order of elders among them called Jenajehenane, who are initiated with fasting and prayer. Their tradition of the Creator and the Deluge is something similar to the Bible story. They believe in the resurrection of the body at the last day and life everlasting in "Our Home." Many of their sacrificial ceremonies and sacred rites resemble those of the Is- raelites.
Arbor, Lancaster County, Nebraska, was named from "Arbor Lodge," the home in Nebraska City of Sterling Morton, once Secretary of Agriculture, and a prominent citizen of Nebraska.
Arcadia, Carroll County, Iowa, was named from the province in ancient Greece, by I. N. Voris, who was interested in the town site and for a time lived thereon.
Arco, Lincoln County, Minnesota. The 'proper name of this town is Arcola, and was named from the ancient city in Italy. It was platted by the Western Town Lot company in 1900. The railroad station is known as Arco.
Aredale, Butler County, Iowa. This is merely a fanciful name made for its use here. It has no historical significance.
Argyle, Winnebago County, Illinois, named by John Andrew, Sen., an early settler from Argyleshire, Scotland. The village at one time was called "Kintyre" from the place in Scotland.
Arion, Crawford County, Iowa. Was named from the celebrated poet and cithra player of Lesbos of ancient Greek history. This is supposed to be one of the myth names for the Grecian god Apollo.
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HISTORY OF THE PLACE NAMES OF THE NORTH WESTERN LINE
Arlington, Kingsbury County, South Dakota. Named from Arlington, Vir- ginia. The original name of this station was "Nordland" which it was given in honor of the many Scandinavians who had settled in these parts before the station was established. The citizens who came later induced the railway company to change the name. The town was platted by the Western Town Lot company in 1880.
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