An Affinity for Place Names. (original) (raw)

When settlers from the U.S. poured into Texas following its independence and later statehood, they starting slapping names on the places where they put down roots.

Most of the names are still around and just as colorful as they were decades ago.

Bloody Hollow in Delta County was named for a disagreement at a brush arbor revival. Buggy Whip Creek in Hopkins County was named for local switch cane often used as buggy whips.

Looneyvillein Nacogdoches County is near Loco and Crazy creeks, but the name comes from the Looneys, a stable local family. Buck Naked lies in Parker County and, contrary to rumor, is not a nudist colony.

Crush in McLennan County, west of East Texas, is famous for the Crash at Crush, where two locomotives were pointed at Crush on the same track, and their throttles tied open. The result was perhaps the only deliberate train crash in Texas.

In Lipscomb County, the folks who named five local creeks apparently couldn�t find any colorful names, so they named them First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth creeks.

Cut �n Shoot in Montgomery County was apparently named for the disposition of the local menfolk. There are a few other supposed reasons.

There�s a Deadwood

in Panola County, a Dime Box in Lee County, a Dollarhide in Angelina County and a Day Duck Creek in Kent County.

Four Notch can be found in Walker County and Five Notch lies in Harrison County.

Byspotin San Jacinto County got its name when O.H. Bennett of Conroespelled his wife�s name Topsy backward and added a B from his own last name.

Can�t �Cha Get Over That Creek lies in Kaufman County. The creek flooded after the smallest rain, blocking the way of travelers.

Chicken Creek in Walker County was named for wild chickens who occupied the area.

Fair Play lies in Panola County and was named for the community�s concern for a child from a wagon train who died in the community.

Uncertainon Caddo Lake in Harrison County has several origins, and the most popular is that it was named for the difficulty steamboat captains had mooring their vessels at the site.

There are hundreds of places where people have deliberately chosen short names, probably because they were easy to remember.

Among them are Abe (Houston County), Art(Mason County), Dull(LaSalle), Dew (Freestone), Drop (Denton), Enon(Upshur), Fife(McCullough), Fink(Grayson), and Cash (Hunt) and Eli (Hall).

©

Bob Bowman March 4, 2012 Column
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