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Subject:        where geog. features get their names
Date:   Tue, 06 Dec 2005
From:   Michael Fry <[log in to unmask]>
Organization:   University of Maryland Libraries
To:     Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>


Anybody know of a definitive resource that would tell me not *what* something is called, but *why*?
My patron wants to know why Big Butt, a summit in western North Carolina (Buncombe County), is so
named, but the gazetteers we've looked at (i.e., Columbia, Omni and the GNIS) say only *what* the
standard name is, not why it is. The US Board on Geographic Names has a "Decisions on geographic
names in the United States" publication, but most of the entries seem to lack this kind of info (and
we're missing the relevant edition, anyway).

I've since directed her to local resources, including libraries, historical societies, Forest
Service offices, guide and tourist books, etc., but don't know if anything will pan out. I've also
called the BGN's domestic names committee--they're checking their library.

Is this sort of info lost to history, or does somebody document such things on a systematic basis?

Thanks very much for any advice you can provide.

mf
--
Michael Fry
Government Documents & Maps
University of Maryland Libraries


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