The name change of a certain gulch and hill (left side) by USGS is obvious. The older map is dated 1939. Not sure when the name was actually changed. Just found this historically interesting. The location is along the WY/SD border.
I remember reading that there is actually a governmental committee that meets to discuss these offensive place names and whether or not to rename them, apparently its a pretty significant problem.
Never has been a problem till now and old names are not a problem today except for those who live in a rose tinted bubble. We have some real problems to deal with in this country, wasting time and money on this sort of thing shows an unwillingness to deal with reality and our true history.
jud
Not far from the office the same thing happened on a quad. It got renamed just like your example. It was not far from this
And not far from here; which might explain who was coming up with those names:
Thirty years ago..
an employee of the local Highway Dept. found a quad sheet that had a similarly named creek and took personal offense (for obvious reasons).
If he can remember where the letter is, he could show it us. Basically, the USGS told him that the creek names were locally historic and couldn't be changed. They were sorry he was offended, end of letter.
Just a few weeks ago I was viewing a quad sheet on line (37d39'34"N 96d01'37"W), and by golly, there it was...with the name changed to a more 'appropriate' racial and/ or ethnic name.
my, don't things change...
The Longer ''N'' Word Was Most Likely Referring To Rocks
Changing to the shorter "N" word was probably inappropriate.
When I replied I saw this
"PLEASE select an appropriate category!"
Seems like Wendell wants to turn it into a P & R issue from "Land Surveying" which refers to maps.
Paul in PA
The Longer ''N'' Word Was Most Likely Referring To Rocks
I think Wendell just added the PLEASE to draw our attention to the category when we start new threads. I know I've been guilty of overlooking it and accidentally starting a new thread under the wrong category.
Working East of Rock Springs Wyoming in the late 70's they change the name of a significant topo feature from SQUAW TIT to SQUAW TEAT. Either way, it was very descriptive of the feature and the fertile imaginations of the early settlers.
Pablo
It Seems Ominous To See It While Replying
As there is no way for me to change the category.
Paul in PA
> Working East of Rock Springs Wyoming in the late 70's they change the name of a significant topo feature from SQUAW TIT to SQUAW TEAT. Either way, it was very descriptive of the feature and the fertile imaginations of the early settlers.
>
> Pablo
With all the PC going around I am surprised that the whole name wasn't changed.
I believe it is in the Algonquin and Assiniboine/Lakota/Dakota/Nakota/Souian languages that particular word is considered an extreme insult. It seems likely that one of the more politically active Amerind groups would be raising a lot of noise about it.
IMHO
It Seems Ominous To See It While Replying
> As there is no way for me to change the category.
>
>
> Paul in PA
I noticed that also. It gets you attention.
Yeah, if it doesn't bother jud, then why are we doing it?
:-O
We had to change all our maps/signs for our local Squaw Creek. Renamed it to NUMU Creek. Our tribes said the name was demeaning. I thought it just was a name for a female indian but if they say it's demeaning then I have no problem with the name change.
It was expensive with all the signs and notifications to other agencies. Most don't realize that a simple name change impacts a lot of databases, maps across the entire country.
My peeve was the once rampant changing of street names to honor someone. I had no problem with honoring them but it trickled down into stuff like new addresses, which was expensive to a business and confusing to home owners. Not to mention having an address and a psuedo (historic) address in the E911 files to maintain. I finally talked them into putting a white sign with the honoree under the green street sign. That honors them but doesn't change any street designations.
In my opinion, sometimes a change is good and is not just to be politically correct. It's to be respectful to others.
New York used to be New Amsterdam.......
Tsaritzen became Stalingrad became Volgograd...............
Byzantium become Constantinople became Istanbul............
Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City.........
Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk became Jim Thorpe, PA.........
North Tarrytown NY became Sleepy Hollow................
Names change for a variety of reasons, be they economic, political or social. There's nothing wrong with reviewing the name of a place and changing it. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names was established in 1890, so this has been an established function for over 120 years.
Has happened all over the country. Not suprizing to me in the least. I'm suprized this is the first time you have noticed a feature like that. It is also probable that there was a family of colored people living or working up that gulch.
Nowhere did I write that this was the first time I have seen this, so you shouldn't be su(r)prised.
NYC has gradually been re-naming streets after 9-11 victims. There must be over 500 such cases so far.
All it takes is an application to be made and some input from the local community board. The City Council voteson whether or not to approve the change.
In most cases, the re-naming is for one block of the street, usually where the person lived, worked or owned a business. Sometimes, instead of a block, they re-name the intersection, as "Joe Smith Corner". Several community boards have made it a policy to reject these types of memorial street re-namings
There are also two different kinds of renaming, signified by a green and white sign or a blue and white sign.
The green means a permanent change on the City Map, while the blue is an "honorary" change.
> It is also probable that there was a family of colored people living or working up that gulch.
I'd be su(r)prised if the family of "colored people" living or working up that gulch chose the name.
Although the name has been "PC'd"...the residents near this place DEFINITELY didn't name it themselves...
34 56'29" N
90 12'34" W
> Although the name has been "PC'd"...the residents near this place DEFINITELY didn't name it themselves...
>
> 34 56'29" N
> 90 12'34" W
I have no knowledge of what it used to be named, now it is after a sea bird. Unless it used to be named Shag Lake, which is an old English name for a species of Cormorant.
In Late 2006 I was working on a preliminary route for a pipeline that went by that very lake.