Curious Iowa: How did Cedar Rapids and other Iowa cities get their names?

Quasqueton, What Cheer, Fruitland. These are Iowa towns, but where did those names come from? And what do they mean?

When early Iowans were establishing settlements and platting towns in the 1800s, many chose to name their towns after important historical figures or places. Marion, for example, was named after Revolutionary war hero Francis Marion.

Others, like Pocahontas and Hiawatha, were inspired by stories told about Native Americans or, like Maquoketa, they were the names Indigenous people gave to particular areas.

Some towns’ current names have changed, or the spelling varies depending on the source.

This week, Curious Iowa — a series from The Gazette that answers readers’ questions about our state, its people and the culture — looks into the histories and legends of how some Iowa towns and cities got their names.

Cedar Rapids

When Cedar Rapids was originally platted, it was named Columbus. The name was changed to Cedar Rapids in 1841 when it was laid out again.

“Cedar” and “rapids” refer to parts of the city’s natural history. The Red Cedar River — or the Cedar River as it is known today — was named by the Meskwaki for the eastern red cedar trees along the river, as well as the rapids in the river. Eastern Iowa, where Cedar Rapids is located, was originally inhabited by the Sac and Fox tribes prior to the 1830s.

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John Pearson, an ecologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources wrote in an email to The Gazette, “The city name ‘Cedar Rapids’ refers to the historic presence of rapids (or perhaps more accurately cascades or waterfalls) in the river within the city of Cedar Rapids but which are no longer visible due to the river becoming impounded by dams.”

Cedar Rapids was incorporated in 1849, and Drake University ecology and botany professor Thomas Rosburg estimates that eastern red cedar trees at that time were “numerous and conspicuous” on the rocky cliffs adjacent to the river.

Both Rosburg and Pearson said despite the trees being the city’s namesake, they weren’t actually present within city limits. This is because Cedar Rapids is built on a broad flood plain. The trees are more likely to be found in places where rocky bluffs bordered the river, including in and near Palisades-Kepler State Park.

“Back in 1975, botanists documented that many of these trees were hundreds of years old,” Pearson said. The oldest one sampled in 1965 was 438 years old. “As far as I know, that individual is still alive, so [it] would now be 497 years old. It is but one of many old cedar trees along this rock of the Cedar River.”

Primghar

Primghar, located in O’Brien County, is an acronym for the names of eight citizens and county officials who established the town. There’s a poem that tells the story, though the author is unknown:

Pumphrey, the treasurer, drive the first nail,

Roberts, the donor, is quick on the trail,

Inman dips, slyly the third letter in,

McCormack adds M which gives the full Prim

Green, thinking of groceries, gives them the G

Hayes drops them an H without asking for a fee

Albright the joker with his jokes all at par

Rerick brings up the rear and crowns all Primghar

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What Cheer

What Cheer, in Keokuk County, was originally called Petersburgh or Petersburg after its founder, Peter Britton.

As the town was being established, Maj. Joseph Andrews organized a post office and mail route. Andrews named the post office “What Cheer” after the old English greeting “Be of good cheer,” which essentially means “Be happy.” According to the book “From Ackley to Zwingle” by Harold E. Dilts, “What Cheer” was commonly used between Native Americans and English settlers as early as 1636.

Andrews decided the post office and town shouldn’t have separate names. Britton — the town’s original namesake — agreed, but wanted Petersburgh to stay. A town meeting was convened, but no consensus was reached. Eventually, Andrews got his way and “What Cheer” became the permanent name for the coal mining town.

City officials report that they still receive letters asking about the origin and meaning of the town’s name.

Coin

Coin is located in Page County, in far southwest Iowa. The story goes that a workman found a small, silver coin while digging the town’s foundation. Dilts — in “From Ackley to Zwingle,” wrote, “The name was suggested because it was considered novel, easy to spell, and symbolic of future prosperity.”

Fruitland

Fruitland, in Muscatine County, was originally named Island. Curious Iowa also found a record that reports the name was originally intended to be “Melon.” The name was changed by the post office.

Fruitland reflected the town’s status as a shipping center for the fruit industry. Muscatine County is known for producing juicy watermelons and sweet cantaloupes, although the number of growers has declined in recent decades.

Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa, in Mahaska County, was temporarily named Mahaska. In May 1844, it was renamed Oskaloosa.

In the book “Iowa Place Names of Indian Origin,” Virgil J. Vogel wrote, “The records show that Mr. M.T. Williams proposed the name Oskaloosa, but since there is no official mention of the origin of the name or why it was given, a story was manufactured by the mythmakers. They announced that Oskaloosa was the wife of Chief Mahaska of the Iowas, for whom the county was named, and this story lives on in several books.”

Legend has it that there was a woman named Ouscaloosa who was the daughter of a Creek chief. She was captured by the Seminoles and married to the Seminole war leader Osceola. The name is believed to mean “last of the beautiful.”

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Quasqueton

Quasqueton was settled in 1842 and is the oldest town in Buchanan County. While researching the origin of this name, Curious Iowa came across a few different stories.

According to Vogel’s book, “Iowa Place Names of Indian Origin,” Quasqueton was the name of a Native village located on the Wapsipinicon River at the town’s location. A town history published in July 1967 and shared with The Gazette by the Quasqueton Area Historical Society says, “It does not appear that this vicinity was ever the home of any Indian tribes; but it was frequently their camping place during their hunting, fishing, and trapping expeditions.”

Either way, Quasqueton is believed to come from the Fox Indians and mean “swift running waters.” Early iterations of Quasqueton are recorded as “Quasquetuck” or “Quaquetuck.” Vogel wrote, “If eton, instead of tuck, was originally in the name Quasqueton, that part may be from Fox otawen, ‘village’.”

The settlement was also known as “Rapid City” or “The Rapids of the Wapsipinicon.” In 1847, the town was called Trenton. Three years later, the town was laid out and renamed Quasqueton. Today, locals refer to the town as “Quasky.”

Jamaica

Jamaica, in Guthrie County, has a unique story. The settlement was first called Sedalia, sometimes written Sedalian, but in 1882 the town was registered as Van Ness by the Milwaukee Land Company.

Despite being registered as Van Ness, a consistent spelling wasn’t used. From Van Nest to Vanness and beyond, it was difficult for postal workers to discern where mail was supposed to go.

Additionally, the story goes that there was another town named Van Ness so the name had to be changed. The mayor was blindfolded in front of a world map. He pointed to Jamaica, the island country located in the Caribbean Sea, and that became the new name.

Zwingle

Zwingle, in Dubuque County, gets its name from a Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli. Zwingli founded the Swiss Reformed Church and is considered the most important reformer in the Swiss Protestant Reformation.

Find your town’s history

Curious Iowa sourced this story through conversations with county historical societies and town residents, newspapers, online sources and books. Those books include “From Ackley to Zwingle” by Harold E. Dilts and “Iowa Place Names of Indian Origin” by Virgil J. Vogel. Dilts’ book is available locally at the Marion and Hiawatha public libraries. Vogel’s book is available at the Marion Public Library.

Learning the history of towns is one thing, but pronunciation is a whole other topic. For example, Nevada, Iowa is not pronounced the same way at the state of Nevada. How you say Amish depends on if you’re referring to Amish people or the township in Iowa. Iowa Public Radio has a pronunciation guide for Iowa places that may trip you up.

Have a question for Curious Iowa?

Tell us what to investigate next. Curious Iowa is a Gazette series that answers readers’ questions about our state, its people and the culture.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com