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I am sorry if this is a repeat message:
 
I am in the midst of reading "Made in America: an informal history of the
English language in the United States", by Bill Bryson, 1994.  It is a
very interesting and well-written book.  Bryson has half a chapter
(chapter 7) dedicated to placenames.  This is very interesting
stuff--although I think some of it is wrong, like "Montana" meaning
nothing.  I was always taught it meant "mountain" or something similar in
Spanish.
The chapter (and the whole book) is worth checking out.
 
--christopher jj thiry
colorado school of mines
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