How the States Got Their Names (A thru C)

Ever wonder where each state got its name?  You have to admit - some of the names are very strange.  Take Mississippi. Really??  

In my next few posts, I will give a brief history of each state's name.  We'll start with A thru C.

So lets get our trivia on!  Here we go.......

• Alabama:   The name Alabama came from  the Native American tribe living there  called "the Alabama" people. In their native language "Alba" plus "amo" was simply translated as "plant gatherers".  I guess this fertile land was their "sweet home" (Sorry.... couldn't resist)

• Alaska:    This is one of my favorite states.   I binge watch "Life Below Zero" because I am so enthralled by the rugged, untouched beauty of the state. Besides.... I don't like summer,  I love wearing coats, and the whole -living off the grid- thing fascinates me. But I digress. So.... The Aleuts which were an indigenous tribe called this wild land "alaxsxaq" which  means: “created by the sea"

• Arizona: There are two competing thoughts on how the state got its name.  The first argues that the name has Basque origins.  The Basque people were from Spain and were said to have called the land "aritz onak" (good oak) because the area was filled with Oak trees.  Others contend that the name came from the Spanish word "arizonac" which means "having a little spring,"  due to the abundance of springs where silver was mined.

• Arkansas:  It was believed that the name of this state came from French fur traders who were led there by the Illinois Indians who named the land "Akansa". which means “wind people” or “people of the south wind”  The name stuck, but the French decided to pronounce it with an "r." (leave it to the French)...  That's how you get the distinctive pronunciation of "Arkensaw"

•  California:  The word California existed for centuries before the founding of the state.   California comes up in the 1500's in Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo's novel Las Sergas de Esplandián.  In the novel the Queen "Califia" rules an island with no men. The landscape of this fictional island is very rough, craggy, and dangerous. Um... No men? craggy land?  Weird connections but the name stuck anyway.

• Colorado:  Colorado in Spanish simply means colored red.  The state was named this because of the red sandstone soil in that region and reddish hue of the river.  

• Connecticut:  The state got its name from the Connecticut river which was written, quinnitukqut by the Mohegan tribe.  The word "quinnitukqut" means “long river place” or “beside the long tidal river.”

Stay tuned for the next batch of riveting state name trivia as we explore D thru I  !

and you're welcome!  ..... for providing safe Thanksgiving table conversation starters.