April 22, 2014 (Tuesday)
Have you, like me, accepted the names of the states in our country without wondering how they were named? I never gave a thought to it until I wrote yesterday’s blog in which I told about Sam Houston being prominent in Tennessee and Texas. Where did those names come from? Let’s start with the state of Houston’s birth, Virginia. It was named for Queen Elizabeth I, who was known as “The Virgin Queen.” She was a good monarch, and remained unmarried all her life. Now, let’s talk about Tennessee. Spanish explorers discovered a village in what is now the state of Tennessee, called, “Tanasqui,” and a century later British traders found a village called, “Tanasi.” The state was probably named after one of these villages, but no one knows what those words meant or why the native Americans named them that way. Texas is called by that name because the native Americans of East Texas greeted explorers by saying, “Taysha” (spelled like that or in one of the following ways: tejas, tayshas, texias, thecas, techan, teysas, or techas). The word, which sounded like the word, “Texas,” meant “Hello, friend,” or something similar. The early explorers used the word in greeting new tribes of native Americans as they were discovered.
And what about our cities? How were they named? Austin, our state capital, was named after Stephen F. Austin, prominent leader in Texas history. Dallas was the last name of a person, but no one knows for sure who that person was. San Antonio was named after a Portugal priest by Spanish explorers in the 17th Century. Houston was named after Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas. Our town, Rockport, is named for a rock ledge that runs along our shore. (At least, that’s what some people say).
Texas has towns with unusual names: Happy, Oatmeal, Turkey, Bacon, Noodle, Earth, and many others.
I’ll meet you halfway at Halfway, Texas. Of course, you might prefer Paradise. Tell you what–I’ll meet you in Paris, or maybe Athens–Texas, that is.
Long ago Shakespeare let one his characters ask, “What’s in a name?”
(You can find out how all 50 states were named by clicking here).
[Shorter version – Click here].