US Place Names ~ Skitticook, Maine to Steilacoom, Washington

Skitticook; branch of the Mattawamkeag River, Maine. An Indian word meaning "dead-water stream."

Skokomish; river in Washington, named for an Indian tribe, the Skokomish; the word is said to mean "river people."

Skookumchuck; village in Lewis County, Washington. An Indian word meaning "strong water."

Skowhegan; town in Somerset County, Maine. An Indian word said to mean "spearing" or "place of watch."

Skull; valleys in Utah and Yavapai County, Arizona;

Skull Valley; village in Yavapai County, Arizona. So named on account of the many skulls of Indians found there.

Skunk; river in Iowa. A translation of the Indian name checauqua.

Skunkscut; range of Hills in Hartford County, Connecticut. An Indian word meaning "at the high place.''

Slateford; village in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, so named because it is the center of manufacture of school slates.

Slater; city in Saline County, Missouri, named for W. A. Slater, of Norwich, Connecticut.

Slatersville; village in Providence County, Rhode Island, named for Samuel Slater, its founder.

Slatington; borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania; so named on account of its extensive slate quarries.

Slaughtersville; town in Webster County, Kentucky, named for G. G. Slaughter, an old settler.

Sleepy Eye; lake and village in Brown County, Minnesota, named for the Indian chief Ishanumbak, "man whose eyes have the appearance of sleep."

Slide; highest summit of the Catskill Mountains, Ulster County, New York, so named because an avalanche stripped a part of the mountain of earth and vegetation.

Slidell town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, named for the celebrity of that name.

Sligo; borough in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, and six other towns and villages, named from the town in Ireland.

Slipperyrock; stream and borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Derived from the Indian word wesch-ach-ach-apochka, meaning "slippery rock."

Sloansville; village in Schoharie County, New York, named for John R. Sloan, an early settler.

Slocums; island in Michigan, named for its owner.

Slough; creek in Yellowstone Park, which was erroneously so described by its discoverer; it being, in fact, a swift running stream.

Smackover; stream in Union County, Arkansas. Corrupted from the French chemin convert, "covered road."

Smethport; borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, named for Theodore Smethe, a friend of the original proprietor.

Smith; county in Kansas, named for J. Nelson Smith, of the Second Colorado Regiment.

Smith; county in Mississippi, named for Maj. David Smith.

Smith; river in Montana, named for Robert Smith, former Secretary of the Navy.

Smith; river in Nevada, named for Lieut. Kirby Smith.

Smith; county in Tennessee, named for Gen. Daniel Smith, a patriot and early settler of the State.

Smith; county in Texas, named for John W. Smith, killed at the Alamo.

Smith Center; city in center of Smith County, Kansas, named for J. Nelson Smith, of the Second Colorado Regiment.

Smithfield; town in Dutchess County, New York, named for Peter Smith.

Smithfield; town in Johnson County, North Carolina, named for John Smith, State senator.

Smiths Ferry; village in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, named for Jesse Smith, the man who established the ferry.

Smithtown; town in Suffolk County, New York, named for Richard Smith, an early proprietor.

Smithville; village in Jefferson County, New York, named for Jesse Smith, a lumber dealer.

Smithville; village in Ritchie County, West Virginia, named for the former owner of the land.

Smithville; town in Clay County, Missouri, named for Humphrey Smith, the first settler.

Smokes; creek in Erie County, New York, named for an Indian who resided near its mouth.

Smyrna; town in Cobb County, Georgia, and village in Chenango County, New York, and sixteen other places, the name being transferred from the ancient seaport of Asia Minor on the Gulf of Smyrna.

Smyth; county in Virginia, named for Gen. Alexander Smyth, Member of Congress from that State.

Snake; river in Idaho and Washington and Yellowstone Park, so named from the Snake or Shoshoni Indians.

Snapeene; stream in Montana. An Indian word meaning "crooked mouth.''

Snelling; military post in Hennepin County, Minnesota, named for Colonel Josiah Snelling, under whose direction it was built.

Sniabar; township and village in Lafayette County, Missouri. Corrupted from schuyte ober, from the circumstance of an early German hunter having lost his life there.

Snohomish; river, county, and town in same county, in Washington, named for an Indian tribe.

Snoqualmie; river in Washington, named for an Indian tribe.

Snowden; township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, named for Judge Snowden, of Pittsburg.

Snowmass; mountain in Colorado, so named because of the snow field near its summit.

Snyder; county in Pennsylvania;

Snydertown; borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Named for Governor Simon Snyder of the State.

Socatean; stream in Maine, named for Standing Atean, a warrior of an Indian tribe, or from an Indian word, meaning "half burned land, and half standing lumber."

Socorro; county, and city in same county, in New Mexico, and village in El Paso County, Texas. A Spanish word meaning "succor" or "relief."

Solano; county in California, named for a chief of the Suisun Indians.

Soledad; town in Monterey County, California. A Spanish word meaning "solitude" or "desert."

Solomon; city in Dickinson County and river in Kansas, originally known as the Wiskapella, from two Indian words, meaning "salt water." Name changed to Soloman as being more euphonic.

Solon; towns in Somerset County, Maine, and Cortland County, New York, named for one of the seven wise men of Greece. Solon; township in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, named for Lorenzo Solon Bull.

Solution; creek in Yellowstone Park, so named because it is the outlet to Riddle Lake.

Solvay; village in Onondaga County, New York, so named because the Solvay Process works are situated there.

Somers; town in Tolland County, Connecticut, named for Lord Somers.

Somers; town in Westchester County, New York, named for Capt. Richard Somers, naval officer in the Tripolitan war.

Somerset; counties in Maine, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, named from the county in England.

Somerset; county in Maryland, named for Edward Somerset, husband of the daughter of Lord Baltimore.

Somerset; village in Perry County, Ohio, named from the county in Pennsylvania.

Somers Point; borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, named for a family of residents.

Somerton; station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, named for Jacob Sommer, associate justice of the district court of Philadelphia.

Somervell; county in Texas, named for Alexander Somerville, a brigadier-general of the Texas Militia.

Somerville; city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named for Capt. Richard Somers, naval officer in the Tripolitan war.

Somerville; town in Somerset County, New Jersey, probably named for an English nobleman.

Somonauk; village in Dekalb County, Illinois, derived from the Indian word, essemiauk, meaning "pawpaw tree."

Sonoma; county, and town in same county, in California, said to have been named for the chief of the Chocuyens, the word meaning "valley of the moon."

Sopris; peak of the Elk Mountains in western Colorado, named for Capt. Dick Sopris, one of the early settlers of the State.

Souderton; borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, named for a family of early settlers.

Souhegan; river in New Hampshire. An Indian word meaning "worn-out lands."

Souneunk; stream in Maine. An Indian word meaning ''that runs between mountains."

Southampton; towns in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and Suffolk County, New York, and county in Virginia, named from the town in England.

South Anna; river in Virginia, said to have been named for Anne, Queen of England.

South Berwick; town in York County, Maine, named from the city in England.

Southboro; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, so named because formed of the south part of Marlboro.

Southbridge; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named with reference to the bridge over the Quinebaug River.

South Carolina; one of the thirteen original States, first named for Charles IX of France, and later for Charles II of England.

South Hero; town in Grand Isle County, Vermont, named for one of the two islands which were called Two Heroes, granted to Ethan Allen. It was intended that they should be owned only by brave men warmly disposed toward the Revolution.

Southington; borough and town in Hartford County, Connecticut. A contraction of South Farmington, of which town it was originally a part.

South Pittsburg; town in Marion County, Tennessee, named from the city in Pennsylvania.

Southport; city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, so named because it is situated in the southern part of the State.

South River; borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, so named to distinguish it from the North River district.

Southwick; town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, named for its first settler.

Spafford; town in Onondaga County, New York, named for Horatio Gates Spafford, author of the first gazetteer of that State.

Spalding; county in Georgia, named for the Hon. Thomas Spaulding.

Sparland; village in Marshall County, Illinois, named for John Sparr, owner of the site.

Sparta; city in Randolph County, Illinois, named from Sparta in Greece.

Spartanburg; county, and city in same county, in South Carolina, so called from the rigorous self-discipline practiced by the inhabitants during the Revolutionary war.

Spearville; town in Ford County, Kansas, named for Alden Speare, of Boston.

Spencer; township, and city in Clay County, in Iowa, named for George E. Spencer, United States Senator from Alabama.

Spencer; county in Kentucky, and county, and city in Owen County, in Indiana, named for Capt. Spier Spencer, killed at Tippecanoe.

Spencer; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named for Spencer Phipps, lieutenant-governor 1732-1757; or, according to another authority, for Charles Spencer, second Duke of Marlborough.

Spencerport; village in Monroe County, New York, named for William H. Spencer, a pioneer settler.

Sphinx; mountain in Montana, so named on account of its resemblance in shape to the Sphinx in Egypt.

Spink; county in South Dakota, named for S. L. Spink, a former Congressman.

Spirit Lake; town in Dickinson County, Iowa, named from the lake which the Indians called "spirit water."

Spivey; city in Kingman County, Kansas, named for R. M. Spivey, president of the Arkansas Valley Town and Land Company.

Split Rock; village in Essex County, New York, so named because situated near a curiously formed rock.

Spokane; county, city in same county, river, and falls in Washington, named for an Indian tribe, the name meaning "children of the sun.''

Spoon; river in northern Illinois, so named by the first white settler because of the spoon-shaped course of the stream. The Indian name was Maquon, meaning "feather."

Spottsylvania; county in Virginia, named for Alexander Spotswood, early lieutenant-governor.

Sprague; town in Lincoln County, Washington, named for Gen. John W. Sprague, interested in the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Springfield; city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, named from the town in Essex County, England.

Springfield; city in Greene County, Missouri; village in Sarpy County, Nebraska, and city in Clark County, Ohio, so named because of the numerous springs.

Springfield; village in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, so named by its founder because he "expected to see a town spring up in the old fields."

Springfield; town in Windsor County, Vermont, named from the city in Massachusetts.

Spring Lake; borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, named from a lake in the vicinity which is fed by springs.

Spring Valley; township and village in Fillmore County, Minnesota, and village in Pierce County, Wisconsin, named from the springs which are notable features of the valleys.

Springville; villages in Laporte County, Indiana, and Erie County, New York, so named because of the abundance of springs.

Sproul; creek in Humboldt County, California, named for a settler.

Squam; lake in New Hampshire. Derived from the Indian word, nesquamsauke, meaning "pleasant water place."

Squaw; mountain and township in Piscataquis County, Maine. An abridged version of the translation of its Indian name, meaning "the mountain which belongs to a woman."

Stafford; town in Tolland County, Connecticut, and county in Virginia, named for the county in England.

Stafford; county, and town in same county, in Kansas, named for Lewis Stafford, captain Company E, First Kansas Regiment.

Stafford; village in Fort Bend County, Texas, named for a prominent citizen.

Stafford; county in Virginia, named from the county in England.

Stair; falls on the east branch of the Penobscot River, Maine. A translation of the Indian name.

Stambaugh; village in Iron County, Michigan, named for the man who opened the Iron River mine.

Stamping Ground; village in Scott County, Kentucky, so named because of the buffalo herds that congregated in the neighborhood.

Stanberry; city in Gentry County, Missouri, named for J. J. Stanberry, former owner of the town site.

Standish; town in Cumberland County, Maine, named for Miles Standish.

Stanford; mountain in California, named for Governor Leland Stanford.

Stanislaus; county in California, named for a resident family.

Stanley; town in Gaston County, North Carolina, named for Elwood Stanley, member of Congress.

Stanley; town in South Dakota, named for Henry M. Stanley, the explorer.

Stanly; county in North Carolina, named for John Stanly, Member of Congress.

Stanton; county in Kansas, city in Montcalm County, Michigan, and county in Nebraska, named for Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War under President Lincoln. Stanton; town in Powell County, Kentucky, named for Hon. Richard H. Stanton, of Maysville.

Stanwix; village and fort in Oneida County, New York, named for Gen. John Stanwix, the builder of the fort in 1758.

Stark; county in Illinois, towns in Coos County, New Hampshire, and Herkimer County, New York, and counties in North Dakota and Ohio;

Starke; county in Indiana. Named for Gen. John Stark, of the Revolution. Starkey; town in Yates County, New York, named for John Starkey, one of the first settlers.

Starks; town in Somerset County, Maine.

Starksboro; town in Addison County, Vermont; Starkville; town in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. Named for Gen. John Stark, of Revolutionary fame.

Starr; county in Texas, named for James H. Starr, secretary of the treasury of the republic of Texas.

Starr King; lake and mountains in California and New Hampshire, named for the Rev. Thomas Starr King.

State Center; town in Marshall County, Iowa, so named because it is thought to be a geographical center.

State College; borough in Center County, Pennsylvania, so named because it is the seat of the Pennsylvania State College of Agriculture.

State Line; town in Wayne County, Mississippi, near the boundary line between that State and Alabama.

Staten; island, part of Richmond County, New York, named by the Dutch for the Staaten general.

Staunton; river, and city in Augusta County, in Virginia, named from the parish in England.

Steamboat Rock; town in Hardin County, Iowa, so named because there is a large rock in the river near which resembles a steamboat in form.

Steamboat Springs; town in Routt County, Colorado, so named because of the sound which issues from an opening in the rocks.

Stearns; county in Minnesota, named for Charles T. Steams, a member of the State legislature.

Steel; mountain in Washington, named for William G. Steel, of Portland, Oregon.

Steele; counties in Minnesota and North Dakota, named for Franklin Steele, a resident of Minneapolis, a town-site promoter.

Steele; village in Jefferson County, Nebraska, named for D. M. Steele, a railroad man.

Steeleville; village in Randolph County, Illinois, named for the man who built the first mill in the settlement.

Steelton; borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, named from the steel works.

Steelville; city in Crawford County, Missouri, named from the mines nearby.

Steen; mountain in Oregon, named for Col. Enoch Steen.

Steilacoom; town in Pierce County, Washington, named for an Indian tribe.

US Place Names

Source: The Origin of Certain Place Names the United States, Second Edition, Henry Gannett, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1906.