Interesting Names for rivers, streams, pools, lakes and other water bodies

sawguy21 · October 31, 2005, 08:26:41 AM

There are some colourful names up here, especially on the Fraser River, that are holdouts from the gold rush era. China bar, Deadman creek, (quite a story behind that one), Headless Valley. Lots of Frenchman creeks. Trouble is, any with an ethnic connotation are being changed by the PC police so as not to offend anyone.

Chinaman Peak is a good one. A group of British adventurers with more money and time than common sense was trying to climb the mountain. When they reached the top to plant His Majesty's flag, they found their Chinese cook had beaten them the night before and planted his own flag :D They tried to cover it up but he had kept a detailed journal.

OneWithWood · October 31, 2005, 08:29:26 AM

Sorry, CR, but you no longer have 1000 postings so a prize would be too late to be meaningful. About the best we can do is offer a belated congrats for your feat. :D :D ;)

As for names, I will submit two.

Jack's Defeat Creek - no one can agree on the story behind it but it is said to have something to do with unrequited love.

Rapid Creek - This one flows through my property. Actually the head waters begin about ten feet from my southern boundary and it bisects the property as it flows north down to Lake Lemon. The name has meaning in that it is a seasonal creek that is rapidly flowing during and immendiately after rainfalls and snowmelts and then is rapicly gone when the ground dries up.

crtreedude · October 31, 2005, 08:34:31 AM

Well, it would have been the first time I was ever awarded for talking to much - so perhaps it is a good thing. :

I guess I could submit the town I live in Ciudad Quesada... Queso = cheese so we are the Cheesy City...

Tom · October 31, 2005, 09:13:41 AM

Fred got a Thousand Posts!

Wahoo!

I remember getting a thousand posts
and thought I was gabby. Now look at me.
You'll look back on this milepost as menial
one day. :D

It still looks like a good excuse for a party, eh? ;D

crtreedude · October 31, 2005, 09:24:04 AM

Tom, I think everyone needs to get an award for having to deal with 1,000 post from me... :

Tom · October 31, 2005, 09:31:20 AM

Let me take this opportunity,while we are talking about place names, to make everyone aware that spring diving in Florida is very dangerous. Don't do it on a lark. You need training, a group, a guide and special equipment. I've personally lost friends who got turned around in a spring and couldn't find their way out. Their air ran out and they drowned. It could sure ruin a vacation.

Now! Most of you are familiar with names like Silver Springs, but a lot of the Springs carry indian-like names. Ichetucknee is one.

Charlie mentions Kissimmee. We can generally nail a new comer by how he pronounces certain Florida names. Kissimmee isn't pronounced Kiss-a-me, it's Keh-simee. Now and again there is a news announcer imported from other parts who makes the mistake of airing mispronounced names. They usually don't last long. :D

Folks from other places will call the outfall of a spring a creek, or branch, or river. It's not, it's a "Run" until it either develops into something substantial or runs into a bigger body of water.

Lake Okeechobee is the largest, natural, fresh water lake in the USA with its boundary's within the confines of a State.

Tom · October 31, 2005, 09:36:09 AM

Quote from: crtreedude on October 31, 2005, 09:24:04 AM
Tom, I think everyone needs to get an award for having to deal with 1,000 post from me... :

OK!!
I now designate the Forum Psycho Ward as belonging to Fred. :D :D :D

SwampDonkey · October 31, 2005, 02:20:24 PM

Quote from: DanG on October 30, 2005, 10:43:40 PM
Just up in the edge of Georgia, is a stream called "Manbone Creek." Your imagination is as good as mine on this one.

I'm afraid I'm compelled to give you full credit on this one. :D :D

SwampDonkey · October 31, 2005, 02:41:03 PM

Budworm City, not a waterbody, but an airbase in the middle of the forest where the war against the spruce budworm with DDT began. ;)

1957 CBC Newsfile (Windows Media)

CHARLIE · October 31, 2005, 02:44:13 PM

Patty, remember Kickapoo Joy Juice? That was in a DanG good comic strip. ;D

Lake Okeechobee is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the lower U.S. Third largest if you include Alaska. Lake Okeechobee is a dangerous lake because most of it is only about 12 feet deep. I think the deepest parts are about 20 feet. When the wind whips up, the water has no where to go but up, so the waves get ferocious. It's famous for it's great bass fishing and the catfish out of the lake are extremely delicious. I remember when I was a young'un, we could go to little restaurants near the lake and get "All you can eat fried catfish" for $1.00 and that included cole slaw, hushpuppies and ice tea.

Paschale · October 31, 2005, 04:31:08 PM

Quote from: crtreedude on October 31, 2005, 05:06:01 AM
By the way, I see I just hit 1,000 postings - do I get a prize ?

Hey there CRTreedude...congrats on the 1,000th post...looks like we're neck and neck...but I think I got ya beat in the Hot Air Dept! ;)

Patty · October 31, 2005, 04:58:55 PM

Charlie, no I don't recall the Kickapoo Joy Juice. I am far to young and innocent. :

However it easily could have originated there in the valley. The little town where my gram & gramp lived was called Soldiers Grove. In its hey dey it supported several bars (one on every corner plus an additional one in the center of the block) and 1 lonely grocery store! I guess they got their priorities all figured out! ;D

Bro. Noble · October 31, 2005, 09:29:35 PM

Patty,

If you don't know about kickapoo joy juice, you missed out on some very good literature. You shurly heard of Sadie Hawkins havn't you? ;)

CHARLIE · October 31, 2005, 11:29:16 PM

Oh Patty, I'm sorry you missed one of the greatest comic strips known to man. Lil' Abner by Al Capp. I reckon that's one of the penalties of not being old. ;D Wander around this website a bit.

http://www.lil-abner.com/kickapoo.html

beenthere · November 01, 2005, 12:41:11 AM

And there was Al Capp's Shmoo characters, that provided everything. There was a Shmoo rage in the late 40's for about a year or so.
Is summarized here (and I still have a Shmoo book or two

).

About Al Capp's Shmoo character

SwampDonkey · November 01, 2005, 09:05:31 AM

Restigouche tributaries

Sport Camp Brook

Fire Trail Branch

Portage Brook

Winding Eddy Brook

Burnt Camp Brook

Poplar Brook

Balm of Gilead Brook

Yellow Brook I'll leave that to your imagination ;D

Burntland Brook

pappy · November 01, 2005, 09:28:26 AM

I won't even try to pronounce this one ;D

Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

Translation from the Algonquin: "You fish on your side of the lake, and I'll fish on my side of the lake, and nobody fishes in the middle.
Webster, Massachusetts

you tell me which side is mine

http://www.oldewebster.com/archive/images/lake/lake_map.jpg

more info
http://www.oldewebster.com/history/lake_chargogg.htm

Phorester · November 01, 2005, 10:06:57 PM

We got one of those too, Marcel, just over the line in West VA. Aptly named Lost River 'cause it dissappears underground for a few miles.

It's close to Back Creek, about 20 miles south of Sleepy Creek, and about 50 miles west of Naked Creek.

Bro. Noble · November 01, 2005, 10:38:51 PM

We got a 'dry dreek' that runs into Bryant Creek just below our place------or it would if it wasn't dry :D :D

Murf · November 02, 2005, 01:45:30 PM

There's a big lake a few miles from my summer place, it's called Lake Kashagawigamog, at least by the people that can pronounce it anyways. :D

Lot's of people just call it "Kash" .......

It is Indian for "lake of many long and winding bays.".

jon12345 · November 02, 2005, 04:50:28 PM

NY has at least 2 mud lakes, and at least 2 cranberry lakes.

Saranac Lake, NY is closer to at least 2 other lakes (Colby & Oseetah) than to any of the 'Saranac Lakes'

Others where I live - Big Bill & Little Bill, two small brooks that run almost parallel to one another about 1/4 mile apart.

Stoner Lake

Wudman · November 02, 2005, 06:33:33 PM

Hell's Bay, Purgatory Bay, and Broken Axle Road - Located in the Hoffman Forest of Eastern North Carolina. I think they must have been named by a poor forester soul taking inventory plots.

Assamoosic Swamp (a local Indian Tribe) - Located in Eastern Virginia in Sussex and Southampton Counties.

Modest Creek - Lunenburg County Virginia - named by order of a Circuit Court judge in a criminal case. There was a "lovers lane" on the creek and the creek was known locally by a more colorful name. There was a fight in the parking area that led to a criminal trial. One lady was called to testify in the case. The prosecuting attorney asked her to state the location of the altercation. She stated on record that she was much to modest to say that word in public. The judge asked her to approach him and tell him the name. She whispered the name in his ear. The judge ordered that the name was not to be spoken in his court. An order was issued that the creek would be known as "Modest CreeK". It carries that name today.

Wudman

Ernie · November 02, 2005, 08:09:12 PM

The Maori in Taranaki (our province in NZ) have a lot of names which are rather strange and also rather rude.

Te Henui stream. The Mistake, A bunch of maori were worried about attack from a neighbouring tribe and posted a watch, unfortunately some members of the tribe went around the back way to try and ambush the intruders. There was no one there and on their return to the PA (fortified village) They were killed by their relatives in error.

Mimi Stream. We have about 1 Kilometer of this stream as one of our boundaries, it means urine in Maori.

Urenui and Uruti are both villages and mean large and small male members. We used to live at Uruti but now live half way in between the two. I must say, I feel a lot less insignificant now that we are closer to Urenui ;D ;D

There are many more but this is a family forum so I wont post them. :'( :'(

Ianab · November 03, 2005, 12:32:11 AM

QuoteThere are many more but this is a family forum so I wont post them.

Good idea Ernie... translating Waitara would prolly get us sent to the Woodshed

:D

Ian

Blake22 · November 03, 2005, 01:11:24 AM

The county I live in is surrounded by rivers on three sides & the state of Georgia to the north. To the west is the AUCILLA RIVER. To the east is the WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER. To the south is the famous SUWANNE RIVER.

I had some property over around DanGs neck of the woods that had a creek running through called ROCKY COMFORT CREEK.

One of my favorites is just accross the Georgia line called PISCOLA CREEK. Wonder how it got its name? ;D ;D