Gudde, "1000 California Place Names"

[David D. Robertson]

Gudde, Erwin G.  "1000 California Place Names".  Berkeley:  University of
California, 1947.  Here are a few notes of interest for the history of
language contact in the greater Pacific Northwest region.

BUTTE:  'isolated peak', introduced by French Canadian fur trappers, occurs
in many places

CACHE CREEK:  named by Hudson's Bay trappers in 1832, in Yolo County

CAYUCOS:  in San Luis Obispo County, goes back to at least 1837, refers to
fishing canoes, supposedly a Spanish rendering of 'kayaks'

CHINA, CHINESE:  widespread, sometimes locally pronounced Chinee, goes back
to early mining days

DUTCH:  widespread, usually but [tantalizingly] not always refers to
Germans or 'Netherlanders'; cf. Ducor in Tulare County, a shortening of
former name Dutch Corners, where 4 German farmsteads met

FEATHER RIVER:  goes back to 1830's HBC trappers

FRENCH:  widespread, mostly inspired by French-Canadian trappers or
settlers [in some cases folks who were presumably both, as we find in
Oregon]

IAQUA:  in Humboldt County, pronounced eye-a-kway, perhaps from
<aiekwi> 'good day', a 'native greeting still heard in the county', goes
back to 1864 [but might it refer to hyqua, native shell money?]

JIM CROW CANYON:  in Sierra County, refers to a Kanaka, 'called Jim Crow as
Kanakas frequently were' [kanaka in some varieties of CJ refers to black
people, by the way]

KANAKA:  several locations, refers to South Sea Islanders, 'many of whom
were in California long before the gold rush'

SQUAW:  'anglicized version of an Algonkian Indian term
meaning "woman"'...widespread...'a favorite place-name in California since
the gold-rush days'

SISKIYOU:  named when Alexander R. McLeod lost a horse going through this
mountain pass in 1828 [we've read this story elsewhere, with equally little
explanation given]...said to mean 'bob-tailed horse' in Cree...'taken over
bu the Chinook Jargon'...named in 1852 (!)

[names in <ch-> as well as BUCHON]:  a great many are from indigenous
languages, and in California English have <ch> pronounced as <sh>, just as
Pacific NW English says its <ch> in Chinook, Chehalis, Chelan, Sacheen