Perhaps because of the diversity of American settlers, or perhaps because of frontier humor,
towns with strange names
abound in the United States. Some of the most entertaining names have
equally intriguing origins (unlike the often-mentioned Intercourse,
Pennsylvania, which was simply named after an old usage of the word,
meaning “conversation”).
10. Hell, Michigan
The sign for the U.S. Weather Bureau at Hell, Michigan
Perhaps of no surprise to many, Hell, Michigan, may owe its name to
the founder of a whiskey distillery. To be more specific, the town was
founded by a man named George Reeves, who purchased a sawmill on a creek
now called Hell Creek, subsequently building a gristmill and
distillery, as well as a combined store and tavern. On top of that, he
built a sulky racetrack (a lightweight cart pulled by dogs or horses).
He was also rumored to have once sunk barrels of whiskey to the bottom
of the millpond while under inspection from federal tax collectors.
Drinking, gambling and tax evasion!
Competing theories exist as to the original source of the name. One is that German travelers were overheard exclaiming, “So schö
n
hell!” (“So beautifully bright!”) while stepping out of a stagecoach on
a sunny afternoon. The other is that, when Michigan became a state,
Reeves was asked what he thought of the town he’d helped settle, and he
declared, “I don’t care. You can name it Hell for all I care.” Another
theory is that the early explorers gave it the name because of being
plagued by mosquitoes and bogged down in wetlands. Whatever reason is
true, whenever it’s below freezing in the small town, there are bound to
be plenty of jokes about “Hell freezing over.”
9. Surprise, Arizona
The Rangers’ and Royals’ complex in Surprise, Arizona
When Flora Mae Statler founded
Surprise, Arizona,
in 1938, she gave it the name because she said she “would be surprised
if the town every amounted to much. At that time, the town consisted of
just a few houses and a gas station. A one-mile-square parcel was
divided to make inexpensive housing for agricultural workers. Thanks to
further development and the arrival of thousands of retirees in the
1990s and 2000s to the resort-like community of Sun City Grand, the
city, which is close to Phoenix, is one of the most rapidly growing in
the state. Surprise is the spring training home for both the Kansas City
Royals and Texas Rangers. If she saw the city today, Statler would
definitely be surprised.
8. Tightwad, Missouri
The often-photographed Tightwad Bank sign
With a name like Tightwad, Missouri, there was bound to be a colorful
origin story. Sure enough, the name is said to stem from an argument
between a shopkeeper and a customer — who was also a postman — when the
customer accused the shopkeeper of cheating him by charging an extra 50
cents for either a watermelon, or as some accounts say, a rooster. It’s
interesting that the town would take its name from an argument over
money involving a postman, since many towns only get official names when
the necessity arises to deliver mail properly. Regardless of the truth
of that story, the village (population 64) attracts plenty of visitors,
who love to photograph
the Tightwad Bank, which no doubt keeps careful track of customers’ money.
7. Burnt Corn, Alabama
The general store/post office in Burnt Corn, Alabama
A number of towns are named for food items. Just about any sort of
fruit, vegetable and farm animal has probably had a town named after it
somewhere in the U.S. What elevates this town to a place on this list is
the addition of the unexpected adjective “burnt.” The town of
Burnt Corn, Alabama,
earned its name from one of several possible scenarios. One, from white
settlers burning the corn planted by the Creek Indians to clear land
for their homesteads. Two, from the Creek Indians burning the corn cribs
of white settlers to drive them from the land. Three, from an ailing
Creek Indian, who was left behind by his companions with enough corn to
supply him and then, when he recovered enough to move on, burned the
remaining corn in a bonfire, which other travelers then found. A fourth
story involves, again, the Creek Indians burning the corn of a specific
settler, James Cornells, who owned a trading house and later settled on
the spring where the corn had burnt. Seems like, somehow or another,
burnt corn had something to do with it.
6. Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
General store in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, with the former canine mayor.
According to local legend, the miniscule town of
Rabbit Hash, Kentucky,
was named after a dish the town was known for in the early 19th
century. Steamboats navigating the Ohio River would stop there for a
dish of the delicacy. The story goes that, in 1831, a pirate ship docked
and entered the town, burning all the buildings and killing everyone.
The next steamboat to stop saw only the sign “Rabbit Hash,” which was
mistaken for the name of the town. In actuality, the town name was
likely not adopted until required by the post office, in order to
differentiate the hamlet’s initial name of Carlton from a town named
Carrollton several miles down river. These days, regardless of the
name’s true origin, the village (which boasts only a couple dozen
residents) is better known for having elected two dog mayors, which was
the subject of a documentary, “Rabbit Hash, Kentucky: Center of the
Universe.”
5. Bad Axe, Michigan
A movie theater in Bad Axe, Michigan
Located in the “thumb” area of the state’s mitten shape,
Bad Axe, Michigan,
is much larger than many of the towns on this list, with approximately
3,500 residents. Established in 1905, its name dates back to 1865, when
surveyors Rudolph Pabst and George Willis Pack were surveying the first
state road through Huron County. They made camp at the future site of
the city, discovering a very worn and damaged axe. They used the name
“Bad Axe Camp” on both the minutes of the survey and a sign they placed
on the main trail. A post office followed in 1870, retaining the name.
Fittingly, the town’s symbol depicts an axe with a broken handle.
4. Rough and Ready, California
The Wayside Chapel in Rough and Ready, California
Though its countless abandoned historical buildings make
Rough and Ready, California,
look like a ghost town, it actually counted nearly 1,000 residents in
the 2010 census, and the Rough and Ready Chamber of Commerce boasts that
it is a popular location for entrepreneurs and home-based businesses.
If so, that independent spirit would be in keeping with the town’s
history. Founded by miners in 1849, the town took its name from the
Rough and Ready Company, itself named after the 12th president of the
U.S., General Zachary Taylor, whose nickname was Old Rough and Ready.
The town’s history grows even more interesting a short while later, with
the town seceding from the union in 1850, reportedly out of frustration
with the U.S. justice system, which was unable to prosecute a con man
who was preying on the miners. According to legend, the con man was
hanged as soon as the town seceded! But only three months later, when
the townsfolk were preparing for the Independence Day celebration and
realized they could no longer celebrate the birth of a nation to which
they didn’t belong, they voted to rescind the secession.
3. Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky
Road sign for Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky
If you imagine Ballard County in Kentucky as looking like a
westward-facing monkey face, the teeny-tiny town of Monkey’s Eyebrow is
located — you guessed it — about where the eyebrow would be. The best
depiction of this image can be found on
author Joe Culver’s website,
which also features his stories about the town. Culver writes that,
when people ask him about the origin of the town’s name, he jokes that
there are far worse parts of a monkey’s anatomy to be named after.
2. Toad Suck, Arkansas
A Toad Suck Daze mural in Toad Suck, Arkansas
Voted the “most embarrassing or unfortunate U.S. town name or place
name in a poll at FindMyPast.com in August 2012, Toad Suck, Arkansas,
owes its colorful name to steamboat captains. Local legend states that
the captains and their crew used to pause there to refresh themselves at
a local tavern. The disapproving locals said of the captains: “They
suck on the bottle ’til they swell up like toads.” The tavern is long
gone, but the legend remains. The town’s history is celebrated at the
annual scholarship fundraiser and fair,
Toad Suck Daze.
1. Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Originally saddled with the ho-hum name Hot Springs, this spa city
earned a spot in history — and on many lists of odd town names — in
1950. Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio quiz show, “Truth or
Consequences,” announced a challenge to towns: he would broadcast the
anniversary episode of his show from the first town to rename itself
after the show. Hot Springs jumped on the offer, and as a result,
Edwards visited the town in the first weekend of May for fifty years.
The event, called
Fiesta,
carries on even though Edwards died in 2005. Unlike Halfway, Oregon,
which only changed its name to Half.com for a year as part of a
promotion, T or C (as it’s known by locals) kept its moniker. And so the
town stretched 15 minutes of fame into six decades’ worth!
Reviewed by Unknown
on
9:07 AM
Rating:
