BS: Favorite Town Names Part II

Subject: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 16 May 02 - 12:35 AM

Since the original "Favorite Town Names" thread is up over a hundred, I thought it would be worth starting a second volume.

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 16 May 02 - 01:04 AM

DonD's mention of the more or less mandatory definite article on the Bronx (actually, while I agree that it's the only normal way to say it, I'm not used to capitalizing the the) leads me to wonder if there are many other town or other place names (toponyms, in other words) out there that have "the" (or, perhaps even odderly, "a", "an" or "some") prefixed in like manner unto the Bronx. The only one that comes instantaneously to my mind is the Dutch city "The Hague", which also has two Dutch forms, both with an article ("Den Haag" and "s'Gravenhage", I think; any Dutch 'catters want to correct my spelling?)

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 16 May 02 - 01:17 AM

Liland, back when I still lived in Scotland, one local village was ALWAYS referred to as The Newtown, although pronounced The N't'n. Don't recall if it's real name actually had the "The" attached. And how about L'Havre - Is that right? Long time since I was concerned with the French. Got me interested now... back to the old atlas....

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 16 May 02 - 01:24 AM

Never mind about anywhere else, I just checked the Australian Post Codes listing. There are 28 places across the country given with post codes which have "The" as prefixes.... Mind you, I think I like The Risk in New South Wales, and The Spectacles in West Australia. There are even two places called The Spit....

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 16 May 02 - 01:27 AM

I think it's Le Havre, not L'Havre (has to do with what they call liaison, pronounced like the name Lee A. Zohn). I think lots of French place names have prefixed articles, but I'm thinking of places (like The Hague, the Bronx, or The Newtown) where "the" is part of the English name (and I don't recall seeing "The Havre" in English; there's a Havre, Montana, but it's never had an article that I've seen [nor much else, it's one of those depressing towns just off to the side of depressing, depressed Indian reservations].

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,ozmaca
Date: 16 May 02 - 01:28 AM

Oh no... We've even got an "A"... A 1 Mine Settlement in Victoria has a post code.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 16 May 02 - 02:00 AM

Yeah, but that's not an article "A", is it? It looks more like an "If you've gotta live in a mine settlement you couldn't ask for a better one than this" sort of A 1. All those "The's", though... thanks!

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: RangerSteve
Date: 16 May 02 - 07:10 AM

Jerry Rasmussen (I may have spelled that wrong) mentioned towns that sound good - Kankakee and Waxahatchie. I'll go one further and add that there are towns in the US and Canada that actually cheer me up when I say them. In addition to the two above I'll add Kalamazoo, Pascagoula, Tonowanda, Cheektowaga, Whippany and Parsippany (Two separate towns, accents on the "ip") Ho-Ho-Kus, Saskatoon (or even better - Saskatoon Saskatchewan), Walla Walla, Moonachie, Ipswich, Nantahala (not a town as far as I know, but a national forest), Snohomish, Woonsocket, Piscataway, Appalachicola (I probably spelled that wrong), Chicopee. That's all I can think of now. Previous posts on this thread have been a great source for other names I can add. Thanks. And thanks to the Native Americans for all of the above, with the exception of Ipswich, Thanks to the Brits for that one.

And as to where these places are, You'll have to look them up. That's part of the fun.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Snuffy
Date: 16 May 02 - 08:52 AM

On the southeast outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent is a place that appears on maps as Meir, but it is usually referred to as The Meir. Likewise Lye, near Stourbridge, is always The Lye.

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Kim C
Date: 16 May 02 - 09:56 AM

This isn't a town name, but someone mentioned street names in the other thread so I'm going to throw one in. In Lebanon, TN (and down here, y'all, that's pronounced Lebnun - if you say Leb-a-NON it means You Ain't From Around Here) there's a road called Tater Peeler Road.

Mister said he didn't remember the story of the Stone Head, except that the head gets stolen once in awhile off the pedestal. Teenage prank and all that.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 May 02 - 10:13 AM

London - "the Smoke"
Edinburgh "Aud Reekie" (means Old Smelly - as in Smoke again)
In the Cagney and Lacey series the opening clips always showed a New York bridge with the roadsign bearing the message "entering Queens", definitely a director's "statement".

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 16 May 02 - 02:05 PM

there is a 'The Dalles, Oregon' and a 'The Village, Oklahoma' and a 'The Woodlands, Texas'

Ireland seems to have a few, 'The Rosses' and 'The Curragh' (not a cities, but areas) there is 'The Diamond', in N. Ireland, and there are 'The Pike' 'The Harrow' and 'The Mullet' in Republic of Ireland. BTW, a mullet is a US word for that ridiculous hairstyle, where little hair grows on the top (not bald though, just short) and hair is long over the neck., Hope it is not from the Irish village!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 May 02 - 02:57 PM

There's a town in France called Y

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: RangerSteve
Date: 16 May 02 - 04:09 PM

In addition to what I said above: Saugatuck, Naugutuck, Shinnecock, Matinicock, Weehawken, Speonk, Showongunk, and the town most likely to be mispronounced - Skaneateles (in upstate New York, pronounced so it rhymes more or less with Minneapolis).

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 16 May 02 - 04:13 PM

Skaneateles is a pretty little town, too, right on a FInger lake, nice restaurant overlooking the lake on the far east side of town.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 16 May 02 - 06:18 PM

Just out of interest, I wonder if there are many towns which are only named with numbers?

For example, I know we've got a town named Seventeen Seventy in Queensland. Any others? (Not counting names with numbers included like Seven Hills etc.)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Gareth
Date: 16 May 02 - 06:27 PM

Well in South Wales we have "Nine Mile Point" named after a railway junction and Colliery.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 16 May 02 - 07:00 PM

The whole BC Caribou Country highway.

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: 53
Date: 16 May 02 - 08:38 PM

Conway and Sweetwater are 2 of my favorite names of towns.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,fox4zero
Date: 17 May 02 - 02:10 AM

Skaneateles was where I caught my first Lake Trout when I was a freshman at Syracuse U. There was a famous restaurant there called Krebs, where every hungry student wanted to be treated by his/her parents [I was always hungry at that age]. The lake water was clear and served as drinking water for Syracuse, 20 miles away.

Larry

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: RangerSteve
Date: 17 May 02 - 07:06 AM

Thanks for the info on Skaneateles. I've been to some of the places I've mentioned, and I'd like to see the rest, just out of curiosity. As for towns named after numbers, there's a town in Pennsylvania called Eighty Six. And how about names that don't make any sense? There's a town in Pennsylvania called Jersey Shore. It's in the middle of the state, miles from New Jersey and the shore.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Bruce E
Date: 17 May 02 - 07:19 AM

A few years ago I was in Between, Georgia.

"In between Georgia and what?"

Just in Between.

Half way between Atlanta, GA and Athens, GA is the town named - Between, GA.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 17 May 02 - 11:35 PM

Ozmacca and Liland, re "The," I'm reminded of a phenomenon I encountered when living in Toronto. There is a large arterial called "Danforth [Street or Boulevard or whatever], which, I discovered, was commonly referred to as "The Danforth" (as in, "I take The Danforth to QEW" or whatever). I never understood the "The," since this is not a highway, freeway, etc.

Bill Kennedy, I'm an Oregano, and I thought the name of The Dalles WAS "The Dalles," not "Dalles." Am I wrong?

Also, isn't "LeHavre" the NAME of the city (rather than just "Havre?")

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Mudlark
Date: 18 May 02 - 12:22 PM

Arkansas is full of great town names, some of towns so small they're not even on most maps: Marble, Snowball, Bug Tussle come to mind...and in San joachin Valley...Weed -- so unassuming!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: DonD
Date: 18 May 02 - 01:09 PM

My mind (and heart) must still be in my birthplace, The Bronx. In elementary school, the teachers would raise cain if you didn't capitalize the T.

What makes it special to me as a place name is that unlike The Dalles et al, it's not named after a landmark like a harbor or river rapids or such, but a family, that of the Dutch patroon, Jonas Bronk.

What an impact on history and the face of the land to have your family homestead become the world famous name of a place. Can I aspire someday to having some place called The Deixels? I doubt it unless I move out of this sixth floor apartment and into an uninhabited desert destined for future urbanization.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 18 May 02 - 01:13 PM

Genie, I think you're right about The Dalles (and always capital T); and I agree that the French city is "Le Havre" (space between, I think), but the Montana one is just Havre — which I have always assumed meant "The Port" (corresponding to Portsmouth on the British side of things), cognate with "Haven" — but in that case the Montana one is almost as much of a joke as Jersey Shore, PA.

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: NELLIE
Date: 18 May 02 - 01:48 PM

Here in Devon (England) we have a place called Frithelstock Stone and a village called Woolfardisworthy, pronounced Woolsery. Pretty places too.

Jenny

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 18 May 02 - 03:03 PM

Jenny, or Nellie, I'll take your word for it that "woolfard" is worthy, but what, prithee, is "woolfard" (or dacronfard or just plain old fard, for that matter)? I'll confess I'm several generations removed from the crofts; the vocabulary's fading.

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: bob schwarer
Date: 19 May 02 - 11:52 AM

Yeehaw Junction, FL

Bob S.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: bob schwarer
Date: 19 May 02 - 11:54 AM

And Fort Lonesome, FL.

Worked at the Lonesome mine for years.

Bob S.

Subject: Lyr Add: (GET YOUR KICKS ON) ROUTE 66 (B Troup)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 May 02 - 01:22 AM

Time for a musical tie-in! There are several songs whose charm is in the list of town names they present. My favorite is below. I'm pretty sure it hasn't already been posted, but there seems to be a problem with the search functions lately. I may post more lyrics, or links to them, if the search function is back online tomorrow.


(GET YOUR KICKS ON) ROUTE 66
(Bob Troup, 1946, Londontown Music)
As recorded by The King Cole Trio on Capitol 256 (1946)

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way; take the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!

It winds from Chicago to L. A.,
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on Route 66!

Now you go through St. Louie; Joplin, Missouri;
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty.
You'll see Amarillo; Gallup, New Mexico;
Flagstaff, Arizona. Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.

Won't you—get hip to this timely tip
When you—make that California trip:
Get your kicks on Route 66!

[instrumental break]

Won't you—get hip to this timely tip
When you—make that California trip:
Get your kicks on Route 66!
Get your kicks on Route 66!
Get your kicks on Route 66!

Subject: Lyr Add: I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE (IN TEXAS)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 May 02 - 09:53 AM

More songs about town names:

I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE, the original Australian version by Geoff Mack.

I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE, North American version, also by Geoff Mack, written for and made famous by Hank Snow.

(One thread says Geoff Mack also wrote UK and New Zealand versions, but we don't have the lyrics.)

Lyrics below copied from http://www.brianburnsmusic.com/es_song_10.htm

I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE (IN TEXAS)
(Geoff Mack - Texas Version Adapted by Brian Burns)

I was totin' my pack along the dusty Amarillo road
When along came a semi with a high and canvas covered load.
"If you're goin' to Amarillo, Mack, with me you can ride,"
And so I climbed up in the cab and then I settled down inside.
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand,
And I said, "Listen, bud. I've traveled every road in this here land."

CHO: I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere, man.
I've crossed the deserts bare, man,
Breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.

I've been to Waco, Hico, Hondo, Navasota,
Winnsboro, Jacksboro, Hillsboro, Santa Rosa,
Austin, Houston, Galveston, Texarkana,
Frisco, Buffalo, Conroe, Corsicana,
Goliad, Groesbeck, Glen Rose, Red Oak,
Post Oak, Live Oak, Lone Oak, no joke. CHO.

I've been to Krugerville, Pflugerville, Van Horn, Val Verde,
Brackettville, Bartonville, Beeville, Bulverde,
Bear Creek, Cedar Creek, Mill Creek, Mineola,
Maypearl, Monahans, Telephone, Tuscola,
Redwater, Round Rock, Round Top, Round Lake,
Sour Lake, Southlake, Springlake, for Pete's sake. CHO.

I've been to Greenville, Gatesville, Gainesville, Alameda,
Kerrville, Kellyville, Bastrop, Benavides,
Somerville, Smithville, Stephenville, Prairie View,
Longview, Plainview, Fairview, Idalou,
Justin, Junction, Panorama, Pasadena,
Angelina, and Lorena. See what I mean-a. CHO.

I've been to Valley Mills, Pine Mills, Dime Box, Duncanville,
New Home, New Hope, New Deal, Liberty Hill,
Rockport, Rock Creek, Bridgeport, Brownwood,
Cleburne, Comanche, Cut & Shoot, Cottonwood,
Bayview, Bayside, Baytown, Bay City,
Falls City, Center City, Bridge City. What a pity. CHO.

When it comes to travelin' Texas, friend,
I've been everywhere.

[Recorded by Brian Burns on "The Eagle & the Snake: Songs of the Texians." Click here for more info.]

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 21 May 02 - 03:41 AM

Yesterday on the radio (was it on Car Talk?) I heard someone mention a town that was between Surprise and Climax. I didn't catch the name of that town or the state these towns are in.

Oh, Yeah Mudlark, I almost forgot Weed, CA! (My car broke down there once and I almost got stranded for days!)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Letty
Date: 21 May 02 - 07:30 AM

Liland wrote about places with an article: "The only one that comes instantaneously to my mind is the Dutch city "The Hague", which also has two Dutch forms, both with an article ("Den Haag" and "s'Gravenhage", I think; any Dutch 'catters want to correct my spelling?")"

Pretty good, it's: 's Gravenhage. The 's is also an article, the old-fashioned genitive des (we don't have a proper case system anymore in modern Dutch). 's Gravenhage means "the earl's hague", Den Haag (den is an old-fashioned article too) simply "the hague". It's customary to say Den Haag.

Another place with article: Den Bosch or 's Hertogenbosch, meaning "the wood", or the duke's wood.

My favourite Dutch placenames are Sexbierum (sex and beer, in Frisia, sadly it doesn't mean sex and beer etymologically) and Nooitgedacht (never thought, as in "never thought I'd ever visit this place). Oh, and Lutjebroek is a nice one too (meaning "small pants" in dialect).

Letty

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 21 May 02 - 07:44 AM

I remember hearing Rolf Harris do a UK version of I've been everywhere, finishing with Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 21 May 02 - 07:14 PM

I figured 's Gravenhage meant "the earl's hague", but the question is, what is a hague anyway?? Are there any others? King's hagues, or commoners' hagues?

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Van Lingle
Date: 21 May 02 - 07:23 PM

Two favorite fishing destinations: Last Chance,ID and Chokoloskee, FL.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Mike in NZ
Date: 22 May 02 - 12:02 AM

Easy to see I'm new to this. Refering back to the use of 'the' in names, we have a province in the Norht Island named Manawatu, it is always referred to as 'The Manawatu'.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 22 May 02 - 12:17 AM

Speaking of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch , what's the name of that lake in New England with the really long name that means something like "I fish on my side, you fish on your side, and we both fish in the middle?"

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 22 May 02 - 01:40 AM

Probably this one although they gloss it "...nobody fishes in the middle" rather than both of us.

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 22 May 02 - 02:10 AM

Liland, I couldn't remember whether it was both or no one who fished in the middle. Thanks.

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Letty
Date: 22 May 02 - 09:06 AM

Liland asked: "what is a hague anyway?"
It is a shrubbery!
Or a hedge.

Letty, trying to keep from saying: NI!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Leeder
Date: 22 May 02 - 12:54 PM

I'm surprised nobody's started in on Newfoundland yet. Dildo, Joe Batt's Arm, and so on.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Wolfgang
Date: 22 May 02 - 01:12 PM

Fucking (Austria) deserves an honorable mention.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 May 02 - 03:12 PM

near Northampton there is a village called Duston but to those in the know it is called Dusson, though the villagers who live there call it Duston again! Wierd?

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Wordless Woman
Date: 22 May 02 - 03:57 PM

Hi Nella (NJ) always sounds like a cheerful greeting.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: RangerSteve
Date: 22 May 02 - 06:18 PM

I remember my brother telling me about driving through Surprise and Climax. They're in New York, somewhere in or near the Catskill Mountains.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: jjmodel48
Date: 22 May 02 - 07:12 PM

I've been through Helen,Georgia. (Love saying that.) Also, Bird In Hand and Intercourse, both in Pennsylvania.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: p.j.
Date: 22 May 02 - 08:10 PM

I grew up in Socktown, GA and my Mom lived for a while near Bug Tussle, NC. (Surburban Bug Tussle, I guess.)

p.j.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,emr
Date: 23 May 02 - 04:31 PM

Somebody asked about places named with numbers. I used to live near Ninety Six, South Carolina. I don't know the origin of the name but it dates back to before the Revolutionary War. I now live in Kentucky which has some wonderful place names but my favorite has to be Monkey's Eyebrow.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 23 May 02 - 05:03 PM

Been away a week... I've enjoyed all the posts, and especially enjoyed yours, Ranger Steve. Did you have a children's tv show in the 50's? I think you've singled out the reason why American towns sound different than those of the British Isles (other than all the examples of towns that were named AFTER British Isles towns. So much of our "American" heritage comes from native americans. We did an exhibit at the Museum where I worked for many years about place names in the United States, and almost every state is an indian name that was corrupted over the years.

Wisconsin, like most states, has a wealth of indian town names.. repeat after me, Manitowoc,Menomonie,Minoqua,Muckwanago, Muskego, Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Waunakee and Waupaca. I grew up in a boringly-named town, Janesville... named after the Janes family who were the first settlers. Yawn...

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: RangerSteve
Date: 23 May 02 - 06:00 PM

No Jerry, I was a child in the 50's. Thanks for adding the above names. Muckwanago is my favorite.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: BassBoater
Date: 23 May 02 - 07:18 PM

There's an island in Croatia called Krk

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 24 May 02 - 01:34 PM

Well, Jerry R, as long as were on Wisconsin, how about that old favorite Oshkosh?

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: alanabit
Date: 25 May 02 - 01:22 PM

Two I particularly like in Cornwall are Zelah and Indian Queens.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 25 May 02 - 01:38 PM

Genie: Oshkosh... I always think of Oshkosh bib overalls with the slogan, "They're Oshkosh, by Gosh!" There;s also a small town called Gehrke's Corners. There was an old Dorothy Day musical where someone asks her where she's from, and she answers produdly, "Gehrke's Corners, Wisconsin." :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Haruo
Date: 25 May 02 - 02:47 PM

In eastern Washington there is a town called Zillah, which is nothing special (namewise or otherwise) except for its local Church of God, which does indeed capitalize on it. It is probably the only Church of God with a Japanese movie lizard as its mascot. Here's a link on The Church of God—Zillah.

Liland

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:40 AM

Jerry, do you mean Doris Day? [And are you young enough not to know her name? That makes me feel REALLY OLD! : ) ]

LMAO, Liland!

Genie §:- )

Subject: Lyr Add: SHAFTED IN SHAFTSBURG (Ipcar, Parshall)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 May 02 - 05:43 PM

Some of my favorite towns from my 12-year stay in Michigan:

SHAFTED IN SHAFTSBURG

G
I've been shafted in Shaftsburg,
-----C--------------------G
Been lynched in Lynchburg town;
---------------------------
I've been sharpened in Flint,
----A-----------------D
And Highland's got me down;
---G
I'm all washed up in Bath,
C----------------G
Impaled in Lansing too;
------------------------E
Yes, I've been shafted in Shaftsburg,
-----A----------D-----G
Come on and get shafted too!
------------------------E
Yes, I've been shafted in Shaftsburg,
-----A----------D-----G
Come on and get shafted too!


I got fed up in Eaton Rapids,
In Custer I made my stand;
I got crocked in Potterville,
In Mason I was canned;
Reformed in Westphalia,
Benton Harbor straightened me out,
But the shafting I got in Shaftsburg
'Twas dreadful there can be no doubt!
But the shafting I got in Shaftsburg
'Twas dreadful there can be no doubt!

I lost my bearings in Wheeler,
Hamburg ground me down;
I was given the bird in Pigeon
And Fowlerville's a chickenshit town;
I got riled up in South Riley,
Ran amok in Menominee, Menominee, Menominee,
But when you come to Shaftsburg,
You'll be shafted I guarantee!
But when you come to Shaftsburg,
You'll be shafted I guarantee!

I got mixed up in Cement City,
Muskegon raised a stink;
You can't get high in Lowell,
Hart's got no soul I think;
I've been glum in Lum,
Taken for a ride in Cadillac;
But once you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know you're never coming back!
But once you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know you're never coming back!

I lost my head in Bad Ax,
And Hell it wasn't so hot;
I got f***ed over in Climax,
And Hillsdale left me flat;
I've been socked in Argyle,
Swamped in Grand Marais,
But when you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know you're gonna stay that way!
But when you're shafted in Shaftsburg,You know you're gonna stay that way!

I put up my dukes in Ellington,
Got locked in the Kalamazoo;
I got the trots in Flushing
And see-sawed at the Sault;
I got stoned in Petoskey,
Balmed in East Gilead;
But once you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
Nothing else is quite as bad!
But once you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
Nothing else is quite as bad!

I was polished off in Brighton,
In Lyons I lost my pride;
I was fleeced in Shepard,
In Frankenmuth I got fried;
I was blown away in Galesburg,
And Howeled all the way home;
When you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know it's time to roam!
When you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know it's time to roam!

I was cast out of Eden,
In Paradise I was lost;
I was damned in Holland,
In Thunder Bay, tempest tossed;
Tehquamenon (note: a waterfall) was my downfall
But, Eureka, I saw the light;
When you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know it's time for flight!
When you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You know it's time for flight!

I got plastered in Paris,
In Rosebush I got ripped;
I got tanked in Sherman,
In Beacon I was lit;
Fell off the wagon in Temperance,
In Brunswick I got stewed;
When you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
Nothing else is quite as crude!
When you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
Nothing else is quite as crude!

I drifted through Grand Rapids,
At Big Rock I was sunk;
Coldwater was a chilling experience,
Hemlock had a lot of punch;
Saginaw was a big letdown,
And Paw Paw's a fruity place,
But once you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You've known real disgrace!
But once you're shafted in Shaftsburg,
You've known real disgrace!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 May 02 - 07:59 PM

"Shafted in Shaftsburg" was composed by Charlie Ipcar and Maxine Parshall, © 1975, after an inspiring road trip to the "thumb" of Michigan. It has been recorded by Michigan's Lady of the Lake and was rumored to have been the theme song of a 1980's road show with Kitty Donohoe. Somehow this information got left out in the above posting.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Teribus
Date: 28 May 02 - 10:29 AM

The one that always used to make me smile driving up and down from Aberdeen was a place called "Boggindollo".

I liked the island called Krk - must have been a bad day on the Scrabble board. Which reporter was it who referred to the combatants in the Balkans as "The unpronouncable versus the unspellable." - Think it was the BBC's John Simpson? anybody know?

Cheers,

Bill.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 02:09 PM

En route to SunnyCamp this weekend, driving down the coast of Washington, I passed through (or by) a little burg called " Toketown ." I figure it must be a sister city to Weed, CA.

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: jimmyt
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 03:39 PM

Jerry Rasmussin beat me to the name Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, but he did not point out that EVERY OTHER LETTER IS AN O! Great name, if you ask me!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Genie
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 03:49 AM

Correction:
It's Tokeland, Washington, not "Toketown."

Driving north from the Bay Area, there's a kind of natural progression of towns:
Weed , California
then you go through
Zigzag , Oregon,
and finally you get to
Tokeland , Washington.

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Paul Burke
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 04:00 AM

There's a place in Denmark called Ahs. Not far away another called Klit. I don't know the name of anywhere inbetween.

Woolfard = Wulfheard. Old English personal name.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Mr Happy
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 04:12 AM

liland, you've changed your name to haruo. why?

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 04:16 AM

And to expand on Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: you start out in Bird in Hand, and you keep going through Mount Joy and Intercourse, until you get to Paradise. But watch out: if you make a wrong turn, you might wind up in Blue Ball!

Aloha,
Mark (who went to medical school right down the road, in Hershey)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Mr Happy
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 04:18 AM

r the pubs there called hershey bars?

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: GUEST,Bewildered in Bend
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 04:28 AM

Genie,
Lets see if I got this right.

You gather your stuff together in Weed ,
drive straight till you get to
Zigzag ,
then roll on down the interstate and up the coast till you get to
Tokeland .

Right?

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: songs2play
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 04:34 AM

With being born in Wales, I always get asked to say "What's that place that ends in go go goch ?"
its
llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Nice place to live.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Gurney
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 06:23 AM

How about those villages in England on the river Piddle, Piddletrenthide for one. That's how the Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra used to pronounce it, anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: ballpienhammer
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 06:23 AM

Cut'n'Shoot, TX
Dime Box, TX
Turkeyfoot, PA

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Bagpuss
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 06:46 AM

My brother used to live in No Place (County Durham) and there is also a *Pity Me* there. I also like the sound of Once Brewed and Twice Brewed in Northumberland.

Bagpuss

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: sian, west wales
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 07:04 AM

Isn't there a Piddle-in-the Middle? Or is that apocraphal? I'm quite partial to Weston Under Lizard (in the West Midlands?). With places like those, I don't see why the English think the Welsh names are so unusual. Penisarwaun tends to send them through various shades of pink, of course. I like Aberhafhesp (Estuuary of the dry summer) - always think of hot hay-making summer days. (When we get them.) And if someone asks me for directions, I always hope that I can direct them through Pontrhydfendigaid or Eglwyswrw ... just to confuse them. (I've got to do something about this mean streak ...)

The Welsh settle a bit of Alberta south of Edmonton when the Canadian West was opening up - three townships of Magic, Climax and Eureka. Apparently there was a Welsh Calvinistic Church of Magic ... which I kinda like the thought of.

sian

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Town Names Part II
From: Snuffy
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 09:15 AM

Sian, I like the story of the man whose car broke down in the valleys. He phoned the RAC to come and fix it.

The RAC operator asked where he was and he said "Ynysybwl"
"Can you spell that?"
"Y - N - Y - S - Y - B ..."
Make your bloody mind up, which is it?"

WassaiL! V