Meanings Of Native American Town Names In USA Postmarks.

Another field I may start collecting: native American town names in USA postmarks.

There are some surprising meanings in the native American names of some town:
The first postcard is from YACOTL to Switzerland.
YACOTL: Native American term meaning "haunted place" or "place of (evil)spirits" or "the valley of lost children".

The second a nice postcard from MUKWONAGO to China, taxed on arrival.
MUKWONAGO: Native American village and the tribal seat of the Bear Clan of the Potawatomi Indians. The name "Mukwonago" is derived from "mequanego" which translates to bear's den.

codexluminati: Fascinating idea! Keep the images coming. There is no end to where this hobby can take you.

Terry

Codex, very interesting. Just in case you are doing a write-up on an album page, the first one is Yacolt, not Yacotl!

Peter

A source from over a century ago translates Mukwonago as "place where bears are killed."

If you do, you will find plenty of towns in Wisconsin. Which itself comes from an Indian name: The word Wisconsin originates from the name given to the Wisconsin River by one of the Algonquian-speaking American Indian groups living in the region at the time of European contact.[12] French explorer Jacques Marquette was the first European to reach the Wisconsin River, arriving in 1673 and calling the river Meskousing in his journal.[13] Subsequent French writers changed the spelling from Meskousing to Ouisconsin, and over time this became the name for both the Wisconsin River and the surrounding lands. English speakers anglicized the spelling from Ouisconsin to Wisconsin when they began to arrive in large numbers during the early 19th century. The legislature of Wisconsin Territory made the current spelling official in 1845.[14]

The Algonquian word for Wisconsin and its original meaning have both grown obscure. Interpretations vary, but most implicate the river and the red sandstone that lines its banks. One leading theory holds that the name originated from the Miami word Meskonsing, meaning "it lies red," a reference to the setting of the Wisconsin River as it flows through the reddish sandstone of the Wisconsin Dells.[15] Other theories include claims that the name originated from one of a variety of Ojibwa words meaning "red stone place," "where the waters gather," or "great rock."[16]

Usually on the news around here they leave the 'killed' part out and just refer to it as 'the place of the bear'. The Mukwonago Police station actually has a statue of a black bear in front of it.

Go, Chiefs! (I know ... don't go there, right?)

Thanks all for the information, will add the 3 translations to Mukwonago.
Guess native American languages are quite complicated, since also the Yacolt has 3 different meanings.

Wow... this general topic could last a long time here if folks wanted it to!

Technically, any postmark from Massachusetts has a Native American name. According to WIKI:

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, whose name can be segmented as mass-adchu-s-et, where mass- is "large", -adchu- is "hill", -s- is a diminutive suffix meaning "small", and -et is a locative suffix, identifying a place. It has been translated as "near the great hill", "by the blue hills", "at the little big hill", or "at the range of hills", referring to the Blue Hills, or in particular the Great Blue Hill which is located on the boundary of Milton and Canton. Alternatively, Massachusett has been represented as Moswetuset, from the name of the Moswetuset Hummock (meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead") in Quincy where Plymouth Colony commander Miles Standish and Squanto, a Native American, met Chief Chickatawbut in 1621.

Although not all of these names are actually "towns" the list of New England places and their connection with Indian names is quite lengthy. A "work in progress" list may be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ginal_origin

WT1 - GREAT link there! Found out some things I didn't know! For instance, under NH:

Canobie Lake: (Abnaki) "abundant water"
Piscataqua River (ME border): (Pennacook) "place where the river divides"

from MA:

Agawam: (Nipmuck or Pennacook) "low land" (with water) or "place to unload canoes" (possible portage spot)
Lake Chaubunagungamaug: (Nipmuck-Mohegan) "boundary fishing place"
Hoosac Tunnel: (Mahican) "rock place"
Natick: tribe; "the place I seek" or "home," "place," "clearing"

Of course, you know that Lake Chaubunagungamaug (sp ?) a/k/a Webster Lake, is the abbreviated spelling. The correct spelling is shown here:



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Thanks wt1 for the link, now time to have fun and try to find some old postcards or letters with those names.

Just got this card from Gary Anderson, and thought of this thread immediately. Of course, it has a redwood empire postmark, from Trinidad, Cal to RFD 39 Mukwonago, Wis.

"Miwogco"
As a tangent, not all Indian-sounding names are Indian! Miwogco is an acronym for the Milan Indiana Water, Oil & Gas Company!



Shown here on a 1923 cover to Germany, the Miwogco Mineral Springs Hotel opened on October 4, 1920. It rivalled the French Lick Springs Hotel. The Miwogco burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances on February 15, 1928.

Nice usage!Great Hotel corner and colors.