Names on the Land

The principal reason for my doing this project was simply because I wanted to do it! I've long been interested in toponomy - the science of placenames - and until now with the priviledge of retirement was afforded the time to do it. It was mentally laborious time consuming ( a guesstimated 10000 hours over a 6-year period) highly educational and greatly rewarding.<p>I have always had an interest in dissecting things analyzing them and then restructuring the information gathered into a new form with the hope of producing a pleasant result. In order to do this I had some help. My best helpmates in gathering the information I sought were things seen on paper not things seen on a screen. I feel good about the fact that I coming from another era did not employ any electronic means to accomplish the task. And it was all formed out with the use of an antiquated device known as a typewriter!<p>My principal information buddies were the 2-volume U.S. Postal Service Zip Code and Post Office Directory the 50-state Rand McNally road map inventory and each state's official road map. The indices to each of these individual road maps followed by a thorough hand-and-eye scanning of their surface provided the means to lift the names of these entries - nearly 22000 of them!<p>The names are a smattering of old names and new names common names usual names and unusual names but basically this is a study involving physical geography with placenames formed from lots of nouns pronouns verbs adverbs and a few conjunctions. It's physical! Many of the placenames chosen for inclusion in this piece were chosen because they involved things essential to the early settlement and survival of this country. <br>