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From: douglas@cxsea.UUCP (Douglas Wells)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Re: bizarre place names
Message-ID: <351@cxsea.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Sep-85 14:57:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: cxsea.351
Posted: Thu Sep  5 14:57:10 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Sep-85 00:37:17 EDT
References: <942@oddjob.UUCP> <142@graffiti.UUCP> <200@laidbak.UUCP>
Organization: Computer X Inc., Seattle, Washington.
Lines: 31

> In article <142@graffiti.UUCP> peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes:
> >> Chicago comes from an Indian word meaning "cesspool".
> >> 				Scott Anderson
> >> 				ihnp4!oddjob!kaos!sra
> >According to "Trivial Pursuit, Genus II" (I know, a really authoritative
> >source) Chicago comes from "Garlic Field".
> 
> Actually it's "Onion Field".  The near north side (just north of
> the Loop) was a swamp before the river was reversed.
> An indigenous plant (don't know what type) that was around
> before the buildings went up gave of a smell like onions.
> 
> The most popular local translation was ``Stinking Onion Patch.''
> (Onions?  We don't need no *stinking* *onions*!!!)
> 
> jeq

According to an article that I read many years ago, that plant was
the "ramp"(or "rampion" ???).  This was said to be a really smelly
plant savored by a select few illuminated connoisseurs, and that
"ramp" festivals were still held in remote pockets of Appalachia.

-- 
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