Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

In the United States, where would I find how a geological feature got its name?

+0
−0

In the US, there are plenty of interestingly named features along with lots of really repetitive ones.

If I wanted to find out how a mountain/creek/river got its official name, where would I find that information?

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

0 comment threads

1 answer

+2
−1

I can't prove a negative, but I don't think there is any such nation-wide historical record. Finding the history of various names will take different methods.

For some, the history and motivations are well known. For example, a number of peaks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire are named after presidents. The area is even called the Presidential Range.

However, many names are generic, and what exactly prompted the name is lost in time. Around here there are many examples, and I expect that's true pretty much everywhere. We can all imagine how Beaver Brook, Rocky Hill, Porcupine Hill, and Flat Pond (these are all real examples in just one small town in north-central Massachusetts) got their names. But, the details of who started using the name first and when that was are unknown today. Sometimes you can even find different names on old maps.

For nationally-prominent names, I'd start with a net search. However, for the vast majority of names, you have to ask locally. But, be prepared that the history of many names have simply been lost.

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »