Tag
place names
33 Porch Notes tagged “place names.” Page 2 of 2.
History and culture - Bent County
The county's name comes from a trading fort on the Arkansas
Bent County is named for the Bent family, whose adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail along the Arkansas River was a meeting place for traders and Plains tribes.
Read note ->History and culture - Custer County
Why the county is called Custer
Custer County was carved out of Fremont County in 1877 and named for George Armstrong Custer, who had died the year before at the Little Bighorn.
Read note ->History and culture - Montezuma County
Mancos got its name from a river, and built its main street beside it
The town of Mancos takes its name from the nearby Rio de los Mancos, and its historic commercial core grew southeast of the railroad siding, near the river.
Read note ->History and culture - Eagle County
Avon's name came from 'Avondale,' not an English river
A popular tale says Avon was named for England's Avon River, but the town's own history credits early settler George A. Townsend, who liked the name 'Avondale' — a reminder to check place-name legends against the documented record.
Read note ->History and culture - La Plata County
La Plata County is named 'the silver' for its mountains and rivers
La Plata County takes its name from the Spanish word for silver, tied to the La Plata Mountains and the La Plata River, one of the streams that drains the county.
Read note ->History and culture - Denver County
Why Denver grew up where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte
Denver started at the meeting of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek during an 1850s gold rush, which is why the old city center sits where it does.
Read note ->History and culture - Delta County
Paonia is named for the peony, with a vowel lost along the way
The North Fork town of Paonia takes its name from the Latin word for peony, shortened from Paeonia when the post office balked at the extra vowel.
Read note ->History and culture - Mesa County
Why so many things near Grand Junction say 'Grand'
Grand Junction, the Grand Valley, and Grand Mesa carry a name from the river that was once called the Grand before it became part of the Colorado River.
Read note ->History and culture - Delta County
Why the county seat is named Delta
The City of Delta takes its name from the delta-shaped land where the Uncompahgre River meets the Gunnison, and it became the county seat when Delta County was carved from Gunnison County in 1883.
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