Book Blogging: The States of Our Union Are Misspelled

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Photo: Wikimedia CommonsPhoto: Wikimedia CommonsI recently picked up a copy of George R. Stewart’s Names on the Land. It’s a fascinating account of the naming of America: How we got places like Mugfuzzle Flats, Coeur d’Alene, and Fort Worth, and (to put it in unsufferable press release-ese) what that says about us.

Among other things, we learn that the Senate debate over the naming of West Virgina briefly devolved into a discussion of whether Queen Elizabeth was, in fact, a virgin. And that before Congress settled on “Nevada” (over the superior and geographically relevant “Washoe”), there was a proposal to name it “Bullion,” after its only notable export.

The big revelation, though, is that despite all appearances to the contrary, “Oregon” is actually a misspelling of “Wisconsin.” Or rather, it’s a corruption of the original French corruption of the original Native American word. A somewhat erroneous 17th-century French explorer suggested that the Wisconsin River might lead all the way to the Pacific Ocean, so when the Americans finally got around to the Pacific Northwest, it seemed like a logical name. Here’s the process, according to Stewart:

Wisconsin <— Ouisconsink —> Ouariconsint —> Ouaricon-sint —> Ouaricon —> Ourigan —> Ouragon —> Oregon

Simple enough, I guess. Anyways, this officially makes Oregon redundant. Perhaps Obama can address this in his State of the Union?*

*Update: No.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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