Dane County Place-Names

Frederic G. Cassidy; New introduction by Tracy Will; New foreword by David Medaris

Publication Year: 2009

Dane County Place-Names is an entertaining record of the heritage of Dane County, Wisconsin’s capital region, from its earliest days through the 1940s. This classic work by the late lexicographer Frederic G. Cassidy is back in print for new generations to enjoy. Cassidy applied his insightful eye to the origins and evolution of local names that reveal a colorful history: Whiskey Creek, Brag Hollow, Marxville, Pancake Valley, Halunkenburg, Skunk Hollow, and Tipple School. This edition features a new introduction by local historian Tracy Will and a foreword by Isthmus journalist David Medaris.

Published by: University of Wisconsin Press

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Sometime in the early 1990s, an envelope landed on the desk of a columnist for Isthmus, the Madison, Wisconsin, weekly. It contained an inquiry regarding the proper name for a flowage extending from Lake Wingra to Lake Monona. The correspondent had heard it called Wingra Creek, but also Murphy’s Creek. ...

PREFACE TO THE 1968 EDITION

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pp. xiii-xvi

Dane County, Wisconsin. Why the name "Dane"? The question might idly cross the mind of a newcomer. Would we be able to answer it? Or know where to fine the answer? Some people seem to think it refers to Scandinavian settlers, but they are wrong. Not a great ...

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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pp. xvii-xviii

My thanks go to the many informants (see list in Appendix II) who helped me with facts, suggestions, and criticism; to the Wisconsin State Historical Society for the use of its fine library; to Miss Alice E. Smith, curator of MS. there, for her keen and generous help; to the ...

INTRODUCTION TO THE 2009 EDITION

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pp. xix-xxiv

Place-name study offers an understanding of the cultural significance of geographic places through their descriptive or historically applied names. Name origins range from apocryphal native terms to names of influential property owners, from the names of early settlers to the family members of subdivision ...

INTRODUCTION TO THE 1968 EDITION

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pp. xxv-xxxviii

The following study has been made "in depth"; that is to say, it has sought to collect all the place-names that have or have had any sort of public status (however restricted) within Dane County, Wisconsin, since it was first permanently settled by the white man somewhat over a century ago, and to analyze this collection for ...

DANE COUNTY. PLACE-NAMES - Addenda

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pp. 1-200

APPENDIX I: GENERAL INFORMATION

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pp. 201-228

APPENDIX II: SOURCES

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pp. 229-245

E-ISBN-13: 9780299232931
Print-ISBN-13: 9780299232948

Publication Year: 2009