(Yes, I'm bored)
In Nova Scotia there are tons of places with odd names. Many derrive from the place names used by the aboriginal people, the Mi'Kmaq such as Tatamagouche ("Meeting of the Waters" for the two rivers that flow into the sea there), Kejimakujik ("Swollen Gentials for the difficulty paddling across the lake of that name). Some were clearly named for the European or American hometowns of the White settlers to the region - Londonderry (for both the N. Irish and New Hampshire cities of that name), New Glasgow, New Annan, etc.
Still others were named after great and not-so-great people - Collingwood Corner (Nelson's second in command), Halifax (Named for the 18th Century British nobleman), Wolfville (for the deWolfe family which founded the town), Sydney, Port Hood, Cabot Trail, etc.
Finally, there are those which completely baffle historical geographers and historians. One such place has recently had its mystery solved. The small farming community of Denmark lies on the main route, NS311, from Truro to the Northumberland Strait. It has carried that moniker as long as the province has been inhabited by English speaking peoples.
Logically, one would assume it was named for the kingdom of Denmark. This was known not to have been the case, though. There was absolutely no connection to Denmark, and no settlers from anywhere near the region in Europe moved there. (Though, oddly enough, about 40-60% the current population are recent (within 15 yrs) immigrants from Bavaria)
Recently, the local historical society, myself included, undertook a project to solve the mystery of Denmark's name. What we uncovered was just plain weird.
That region (usually called North Colchester) was granted to two organizations by the Governor in 1790. The "established" church (Anglican) got half, and the fledgling King's College (in the town of Windsor, the first institute of higher education in what was to become Canada) got the other, to be administrated by the Dean. The deal was that the two grantees would arrange to have settlers come to the lands, take up farming, and pay rent to them as landholders. This would bring in extra money for the school and the church.
The border between the two grants was called the "mark", an ancient usage still surrviving in legalese today. From the church's perspective, the border was the "Dean of Kings's Mark." It turns out that both failed miserably at attracting settlers, and the lands were re-taken by the Governor and given directly to settlers from Scotland (two of whom are my direct ancestors). But the "Dean's Mark" was firmly established as a geographical reference, and the name stuck.
As the Scottish are prone to do, especially the illiterate ones, the name was mispronounced badly. Eventually it was assumed that the place actually was "Denmark," and standardized as such. Old references include spellings such as Dainsmarch, Days March, Dun Mar, etc.
Anyone have a similar obscure etymology for a place name? You European folks much have tons of them! For instance, I know "Dublin" comes from the ancient Gaelic for "Black Pool," and "Paris" is named for the Parisii tribe.
In Nova Scotia there are tons of places with odd names. Many derrive from the place names used by the aboriginal people, the Mi'Kmaq such as Tatamagouche ("Meeting of the Waters" for the two rivers that flow into the sea there), Kejimakujik ("Swollen Gentials for the difficulty paddling across the lake of that name). Some were clearly named for the European or American hometowns of the White settlers to the region - Londonderry (for both the N. Irish and New Hampshire cities of that name), New Glasgow, New Annan, etc.
Still others were named after great and not-so-great people - Collingwood Corner (Nelson's second in command), Halifax (Named for the 18th Century British nobleman), Wolfville (for the deWolfe family which founded the town), Sydney, Port Hood, Cabot Trail, etc.
Finally, there are those which completely baffle historical geographers and historians. One such place has recently had its mystery solved. The small farming community of Denmark lies on the main route, NS311, from Truro to the Northumberland Strait. It has carried that moniker as long as the province has been inhabited by English speaking peoples.
Logically, one would assume it was named for the kingdom of Denmark. This was known not to have been the case, though. There was absolutely no connection to Denmark, and no settlers from anywhere near the region in Europe moved there. (Though, oddly enough, about 40-60% the current population are recent (within 15 yrs) immigrants from Bavaria)
Recently, the local historical society, myself included, undertook a project to solve the mystery of Denmark's name. What we uncovered was just plain weird.
That region (usually called North Colchester) was granted to two organizations by the Governor in 1790. The "established" church (Anglican) got half, and the fledgling King's College (in the town of Windsor, the first institute of higher education in what was to become Canada) got the other, to be administrated by the Dean. The deal was that the two grantees would arrange to have settlers come to the lands, take up farming, and pay rent to them as landholders. This would bring in extra money for the school and the church.
The border between the two grants was called the "mark", an ancient usage still surrviving in legalese today. From the church's perspective, the border was the "Dean of Kings's Mark." It turns out that both failed miserably at attracting settlers, and the lands were re-taken by the Governor and given directly to settlers from Scotland (two of whom are my direct ancestors). But the "Dean's Mark" was firmly established as a geographical reference, and the name stuck.
As the Scottish are prone to do, especially the illiterate ones, the name was mispronounced badly. Eventually it was assumed that the place actually was "Denmark," and standardized as such. Old references include spellings such as Dainsmarch, Days March, Dun Mar, etc.
Anyone have a similar obscure etymology for a place name? You European folks much have tons of them! For instance, I know "Dublin" comes from the ancient Gaelic for "Black Pool," and "Paris" is named for the Parisii tribe.
