Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What's in a Name? Edited version


I'm in Door County, Wisconsin! At last, I've been in all 50 states. Door County is that little peninsula that juts out the east side of the state into Lake Michigan. It's a beautiful place with lovely little bay and lakeside villages and masses of the most beautiful flowers on earth. But its name has an ominous origin. There's an area of water where the currents can become so violent that many people have died there. French trappers called the place the Door of Death. It later got shortened for the name of the county. And then there's Egg Harbor. Local legend is that there was a boat captain who always insisted that his ship be the first to land. Another boat landed before his and he was so angry that he grabbed an egg and lobbed it at the offender. According to the story, this was the beginning of a melee, the targets, egged on by the assault launched a counterattack -- a real eggstravaganza! Don't know if that's true but it surely makes a good story, don't you think? Finally, there's Carlsville. Seven men named Carl lived in this tiny settlement -- so the name was a popular choice!

1 comment:

Margo said...

Make sure you have a Bernie!!!