Friday Fun Site: Native Names

National Geographic has a unique interactive map that show what modern-day cities, states and geographic features mean in their Native American words.

"Native American words echo in the names of lakes, rivers, mountains, states, cities, and small towns across the United States. Most of these translations reflect the best scholarly opinion on the meaning of the Indian terms."

A couple of local examples:
- Kennesaw (Georgia) is Native American for "Grass"
- Chattahoochee River is translated as "Marked Rock River"

Unfortunartely, they are not nearly as colorful as some of these:
- Malibu, CA: It makes a loud noise all the time over there
- Topeka, KS: Good place to dig potatoes
- Chicago, IL: At the skunk place
- Yosemite, CA: They are killers

Here's the link