Source:Kaufmann
W. G. Kaufmann. "Names of streets: Pittsburg ransacked creation when doing its christening: Honors for local celebrities: The hard fighters and the noble Indians all taken care of: How other titles originated." Pittsburg Dispatch, Mar. 15, 1891, p. 15. Newspapers.com 76218287.
[Written for the Dispatch.]
"How do places, streets and things get their names?" is a question often asked but rarely answered. By some curious sort of juggling, localities come by names, seemingly as little fitted to them as a "hand-me-down" suit of clothes would be to an Apollo.
In London this is particularly noticeable. There are thoroughfares having the oddest of titles, which are or were derived from an incident in the history of the old town, and although probably applicable enough at the time of their origin, seem most outrageously inappropriate now. Coming nearer home, the names of some the [sic] oldest streets in Pittsburg seem to have been given with some attention to the fitness of things, as for instance, we have in the neigborhood [sic] of the Point where the nucleus of our city was located, such names as Duquesne and Blockhouse ways and Redoubt alley. The second and third have reference to remains of the old fortifications once situated in that neighborhood, while the first commemorates the fort which the French Captain Contrecoeur erected on the unfinished foundations left by Captain Trent, of the British Colonial army, at the same place.
But aside from these instances there are few streets named after local events or characters. Of the few, Grant street is called after Colonel Grant, the silly Highlander, who, undeterred by Braddock's fate, thought to defeat the entire French and Indian force at Fort Duquesne with his small regiment. His force was massacred to a man. Forbes avenue is also fitting, as it comes from General John Forbes, who overthrew the French power in this vicinity and gave the town its name—Pittsburg.
Shingiss street in the Sixth ward is also well named, as the old Delaware Indian chieftain, who lived at McKee's Rocks, is closely identified with the early history of the city. Governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, took such an interest in this place that he sent a number of expeditions to it; at first to locate here, and afterward when the French were in possession, to expel them, so it is his just desert that the Eleventh ward should name a street after him, even if his later career was not the most honorable.
The same ward also immortalizes that famous renegade Simon Girty by a street bearing his surname. The whole family, of which Simon, George and James were the most notorious, were well-known in this vicinity, and Simon's connection with the Indians dates from the time he was practically drummed out of the militia, while serving at Fort Pitt, on account of his Tory sentiments. The best of the brothers, Tom, also located at a place close at hand, still known to us as Girty's Run, and many of his descendants are now living in this city.
The Thirteenth ward names a street after Captain Jumonville, once an officer at Fort Duquesne, who was sent against Washington and defeated and killed in that individual's first battle, near Fort Necessity, on May 28, 1754. Allequippa street, in the same district, comes from the celebrated Indian Queen. Boquet, in the Fourteenth, is worthily bestowed in honor of the gallant Swiss officer whose name is so familiar in the annals of Fort Pitt and its wars against the French and Indians.
Colonel Croghan, well known in border history hereabouts, is remembered by a street in the same ward, as is also Sir Peter Halket, the brave British officer who fell in the battle of Braddock's field. The commanding officer of the latter affair is honored by the Twenty-second ward. Thomas Mifflin, the Pennsylvania statesman, after whom a county and numerous townships and boroughs are named in this State, is also brought to memory by a street in the Sixteenth ward. General Irvine, commandant at Fort Pitt in 1784, is not forgotten, having his name affixed to a street in the Twenty-third ward, and Kilbuck, a noted Indian title in this locality, is remembered in the same section. Chartiers, the rascally Indian trader, once located on the creek bearing his name, has also a street named after him in the Thirty-sixth ward.
This is about all the early celebrities who are remembered by street names, with the exception of those prominent citizens honored in this way, but whose reputation pre-eminently local as is, is of no moment to us.
A number of the most famous historical names were wiped out when the cross streets, from Liberty to Duquesne way were changed to numbers, some years ago. Among those thus obliterated were Hand street, after General Hand, now Ninth street; St. Clair, after General Arthur St. Clair, now Sixth street; Wayne, after "Mad Anthony," now Tenth street; O'Hara, Pitt, Irvine and a number of others.
Only a very few American patriots are remembered by street names: Washington, Decatur, Moultrie, La Fayette and Dearborn being the only prominent ones. Names of famous borderers, such as Boone, Brady and Crawford have received some attention, but the Indian chieftains with whom they warred are shown greater favor. Pontiac, Tecumseh and Blackhawk keep company with leaders of like renown from other sections and times such as Cohaset, Montezuma, Osceola, Hiawatha and even Cubba-you-quit gets there in the wonderfully named Thirteenth ward. Exactly 27 Indian tribes are honored of which the Thirteenth ward has five namely: Cherokee, Dakota, Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandotte, but the Thirty-fifth ward displays the most enthusiasm in this respect, by having a Sioux alley, running from Pawnee street to Ponca alley. What a paradise for the hostiles.
The discoverers and explorers of this country also come in for consideration; Columbus, Vespucius, Cabot, De Soto, LaSalle and Balboa being mentioned, and even the birth-place of the first-named, Genoa, is honored by the Eighteenth ward. The Nineteenth ward takes the palm for patriotism—it has not only a Bunker's Hill and a Breed's Hill street, but also a Dearborn and a Farragut, all of which it seasons with a little Conestoga, as being suggestive of the State.
American statesmen are not forgotten, 11 streets being named from among them. Four are named after Presidents. Even the English are not left out as the names of Chatham, Cromwell, Cobden and Derby will testify, and the Twenty-third goes all the way back to the third Richard of that country, whom it resurrects as Gloster. The States of the Union are represented by Dakota, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, Nevada and Oregon, and then the name-givers go to Europe and bring back Elba, Erin, Hecla, Etna and Fingal. From England they appropriate Chancery and Drury lanes; from France, Capet and Corday, and then, as if fearful of neglecting home produce too much, a little more skirmishing is done in this country, during which El Paso, Kanawha, Kenesaw, Scioto and Shamokin are bagged. By way of variety a couple of Western Indian fighters, Carson and Crockett, and a trio of our late Rebellion heroes, Ellsworth, Farragut and Foote, are added.
Pittsburgers also rattles [sic] the dry bones of the classics for material. They regularly knock the wind out of the entire Grecian mythological Reichstag, by naming anything from an unpaved street down to a "bum" alley, after Saturn, Neptune, Festus, Satyr, Iris, Juno, Minerva, Venus, Luna, Ceres, Flora, Diana and Niobe.
As would naturally be expected, a people with such taste for mythological subjects would not neglect Greece itself, so places are found for Hector, Ulysses, Lycurgus and the King who visited it, friendly-like, and robbed it, Crœsus; also the locality in which these people flourished, namely: Olympia, Corinth, Sardis, Sparta and the Rubicon. Not satisfied with Greece, they take a flying trip to ancient Rome, borrowing Cæsar, Cato, Cicero, Seneca, Junius, Flavian and Rienzi as they go, and then on to Egypt for Isis, Lotus, Cairo and Carnak. Scriptural lands don't stand much show, they being called on for only two names—Gilead and Nebo.
Being of a literary mind—at times—a turn is given in that field, Hawthorne and Poe of this country and Plutarch, Ossian, Dumas and several other foreigners of lesser note having the call. We have produced some good poets in this country, but none good enough to name streets after. However, England is drawn on heavily, viz.: Spenser, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden, Byron and Hemans, together with Schiller and Dante from other countries. Scientists also come in for honor, as there are thoroughfares named after Darwin, Herschel, Kepler, Laplace, Newton and Edison. It is thought that eventually the Fourteenth ward will go on the stage as it is very dramatically inclined. It has not only a Hamlet street, but also two others named Romeo and Juliet respectively.
Another ward has a Colbalt [sic] alley; another a Green street. Both ought to connect, by rights, with Fresco alley in the Fourteenth. Then the trees are pruned for names; Cedar, Cypress and Laurel being the result. A few birds are caught at the same time, but, only the Eagle, Falcon and Nightingale are selected; all noble specimens it must be said.
But two animals are on the list, the Fox and Fawn; one fish, Halibut; two jewels, the Diamond and Garnet. The Second ward tries to act as sour as possible by having a Lemon alley, but the Thirty-fifth ward goes it one better with a Lime street. Another ward has a Gum street.
Among the peculiar names the Third ward presents a Virgin and a Scrip thoroughfare; the Sixth, a Chestnut, a Gas and a Coward; the Fourteenth, a Dollar and a Fiber; the Fifteenth, a Zulu; the Sixteenth, a Canoe; the Seventeenth, an Umpire and an Eden; the Thirty-first, an Elysian; the Eighteenth, a Dragoon, a Mirage and a Woodbine, and also supplies a Martha for the Twenty-fifth's Mary; the Twentieth, an Equator; the Twenty-first, a Zenith, Rainbow and Finance; the Twenty-third, a Compromise and a Mecca; the Twenty-fourth, a Wampum; the Twenty-seventh, a Veto, and last, but not least, the Twenty-ninth, flirts with a Mary Ann.
Truly, the above is a wonderful list and shows what the imagination will do when it gets into the christening business.
W. G. Kaufmann.
