Bill Kennedy's mention of Eek, Alaska, gave me two divergent thoughts. One is that my roommate's name is Verne Eke, which people always try to pronounce "Eek" though it's actually "eck", from the Swedish (in which it had a slight vowel sound after the k, dropped in anglicization). And, to avoid thread drift, the other thought was the odd town name Unalaska, Alaska (in the Aleutian Islands). On the other hand in Washington State we have an Onalaska, Washington, which sounds like an intercollegiate dog-racing cheer, to contrast with the University of Washington's "Mush, Huskies!" ("mush" here being Chinook Jargon for "go!", from the French "marche"). And speaking of Chinook Jargon, how about La Push, Washington, the capital of the Quileute Nation. "La Push" is Chinook Jargon for "mouth" (of a river), the "Push" part being from French "bouche". On the other hand, La Conner, Washington, just across from the Swinomish Rez (mostly Skagit people), which looks like it ought to have a similar Chinook Jargon etymology, is actually named for its first postmistress, Mrs. L. A. Conner, wife of the town's founder.

Liland