----------------------------Original message---------------------------- If you want a name made up out of whole cloth, "Idaho" is one. For years it was claimed that it was derived from an Indian phrase, "Ed-da-how," meaning "Light on the Mountains," but that has been proven spurious. (No one can find an Indian language with that phrase). "Idaho Place Names" by Lalia Boone (1988) says the name Idaho was first applied to Idaho Springs, Colorado, in 1859. I have heard that the earliest proponents of the creation of the Colorado territory wanted it named Idaho, but Congress chose "Colorado" instead, and the name "Idaho" was only resurrrected a few years later when Idaho was created (1863). Alan Virta, Boise State University Library (Idaho) Special Collections Department [log in to unmask]