10 Fascinating US State Name Origins
Geo Beats
2015-01-21
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Here are the fascinating origins of 10 states’ names.
Not surprisingly, the process of naming a state can be an involved one. It can also yield a number of fascinating stories. Here are the origins of 10 US states names.
Number 10. Colorado. Taken by the unique and striking hue of the river flowing through the area, people began to refer to the waterway as the Colorado, a Spanish word for ‘colored red’. Congress liked it, so in 1861 they adopted as a reference for the entire territory.
Number 9. Idaho. In the mid 1800s lobbyist George M. Willing campaigned to have the territory that would later become Colorado carry the Idaho name. He said that it was a Native American word meaning ‘gem of the mountains’. It was later discovered that he’d made it up. The name however, stuck and moved further west.
Number 8. Rhode Island. In 1524 a European explorer decided that the landmass off the coast looked like the Mediterranean Island of Rhodes. That name made its way to England, and 1663
Not surprisingly, the process of naming a state can be an involved one. It can also yield a number of fascinating stories. Here are the origins of 10 US states names.
Number 10. Colorado. Taken by the unique and striking hue of the river flowing through the area, people began to refer to the waterway as the Colorado, a Spanish word for ‘colored red’. Congress liked it, so in 1861 they adopted as a reference for the entire territory.
Number 9. Idaho. In the mid 1800s lobbyist George M. Willing campaigned to have the territory that would later become Colorado carry the Idaho name. He said that it was a Native American word meaning ‘gem of the mountains’. It was later discovered that he’d made it up. The name however, stuck and moved further west.
Number 8. Rhode Island. In 1524 a European explorer decided that the landmass off the coast looked like the Mediterranean Island of Rhodes. That name made its way to England, and 1663
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