QUESTION:
What do the following three lists have in common?
LIST
#1 – England, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Jerusalem,
Damascus, London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Dallas, Houston, Hollywood, Delaware,
Kentucky, Kansas, Washington, Northern Ohio
LIST
#2 – Ain, Alf, Aly, Amy, Apt, Ard, Bay, Ben, Coy, Day, Fox, Gid, Hon, Ida, Imo,
Ink, Ivy, Joy, Kay, Keo, Meg, Rex, Roe, Rye, Tag, Tip, Ulm, Uno, Van, Wye
LIST
#3 – Toad Suck, Oil Trough, Marked Tree, Booger Hollow, Greasy Corner, Turkey
Scratch, Three Way, Lick Branch, Old Joe, Old Jenny Lind, Point Peter, Hog Jaw,
Gum Log, Half Moon, One Horse Store, Number Nine, Twenty-three, Fifty-six,
Morning Sun, Evening Shade, Possum Grape, Monkey Run
ANSWER:
They are all towns in Arkansas.
Arkansas
is known as the natural state. It's also the state where naming towns ranks
very high on the Weird-O-Meter.
Many
years ago, a Polk County schoolteacher sent out notices to suggest names for
the new post office, requesting that they “write in ink” – thus the town of Ink
came into being.
In
1811, a group of hunters camped along the White River near Batesville. They
killed over 100 bears for their oil, a valuable commodity at the time. When
they ran out of buckets to accumulate the oil they fashioned troughs to store
it until shipment downstream could be arranged. Thus the community of Oil
Trough was born.
On the
bank of the St. Francis River in Poinsett County a large tree once contained
slashes marking the best place for early settlers to cross the river. In 1890,
the tree was washed away in a flood, but the town of Marked Tree still exists.
Nowadays, most folks usually cross on the bridge.
In
early America, “Boogie-man” was a term used by people who had the parenting
skills of a head of lettuce and wanted to scare their kids. In the mountainous
region of northwest Arkansas, the term was eventually changed to “Boogie-bear”
and later dropped to “Booger.” Whoever named Booger Hollow obviously didn’t
want any kids snooping around. They probably didn’t want any revenuers poking
around either.
There
was once a steamboat landing on the Arkansas River where a popular tavern
attracted many river boatmen to suck whiskey until they swelled up like toads.
The eventual name of the town, Toad Suck, was derived from a French term
meaning “a narrow channel in the river.”
Since no one full of whiskey could understand French anyway, the name
"Toad Suck" stuck.
Arkansas
is a land of rocks. You will discover this if you ever try to dig a posthole
for your mailbox. Thus many towns are named after rocks, such as Black Rock,
Calico Rock, Flat Rock, Galla Rock, Gray Rock, Little Rock, North Little Rock,
Sulphur Rock, White Rock, Rock Hill, Rock Springs and Rocky Mound. Madison
County has a town named Rock – the guy who had the list of adjectives was
probably missing during the meeting to name the town.
Like
most other states in the USA, many town names carried over from the language
used by the original Native American inhabitants to refer to the area. In
Arkansas, these include Okolona, Ogenaw, Osceola, Pawheen, Wabbaseka, Washita,
Watalula and Wampoo. If I'm not mistaken, Watalula means "white man move
in and spoil the neighborhood."
It’s a
strange world full of coincidences and synchronicities. I even know a woman
from Scotland and Hollywood. Both are Arkansas towns but she is from the real
deal. In Scotland, you’re born with a sense of honor. In Hollywood, you’re born
with a sense of make-believe. In Arkansas, you’re born with a sense of raising chickens.
I've
lived in Arkansas for many years now, a few miles outside of Salem in Fulton
County. There is also Salem in Lee County, Salem in Pike County, Salem in
Saline County and Salem in Ouachita County. Apparently, there's a rule in
Arkansas that you can't use the same name for towns more times than you have
fingers on your left hand.
In
Arkansas, the value of your pickup truck goes up and down depending on how much
gas you have in the tank.
If you
think that’s weird, wait until you meet some of the folks who live there.
And be
sure to drive carefully through Greasy Corner.
___________
Quote for the Day – “If all the
businesses in town are run like country businesses, you are going to have a
country town.” William Faulkner
___________
Bret Burquest is the author of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark
Mountains with a few dogs and avoids towns as much as possible.
___________
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