May in Town Name History
What happened in May, year after year, in the stories behind 36 American place names. Every line comes from the "Key dates" of one of our articles, and each article lists its sources. Dates are the ones the sources give.
May 1
- 1882Auburn, NE: The two towns are incorporated together under the new name Auburn.
May 3
- 1844Las Vegas, NV: John C. Frémont camps at a spot already "called las Vegas."
- 1901Jacksonville, FL: After the fire of May 3, Hart's remains are moved to Evergreen Cemetery.
May 4
May 5
May 6
- 1847Tahlequah, OK: The Park Hill post office changes its name to Tahlequah, first written "Tallequah."
May 7
- 1857Normal, IL: The State Normal University is located at North Bloomington.
May 9
- 1843Des Moines, IA: The 1880 Polk County history's date for the fort. General Scott orders the name Fort Des Moines.
- 1868Reno, NV: The railroad town, christened Reno for Gen. Jesse Reno, auctions its first lots.
May 10
- 1845Muncie, IN: A local paper regrets the legislature's act that changed the name to Muncie.
May 11
- May 1886Crawford, NE: The railroad reaches Fort Robinson, and Crawford is laid out east of the fort that year.
May 12
May 13
- 1780Nashville, TN: The settlers' agreement for governing themselves is signed at "Nashborough."
- 1954Rocky Mountains: The U.S. Board on Geographic Names makes Rocky Mountains official.
May 15
May 16
- 1902Okemah, OK: The Okemah post office opens, with surveyor Perry Rodkey in charge.
May 17
- 1858Falls City, NE: The town is incorporated.
May 18
- 1842Kirksville, MO: The plat of Kirksville is acknowledged, and in October the county court meets at Kirk's.
- 1869The Dalles, OR: William C. McKay explains the French word dalle in a talk in town.
May 22
- 1838Austin, TX: Sam Houston vetoes a bill for a capital called Austin on Eblin's League, near La Grange.
May 23
- 1853Seattle, WA: Denny and Boren file the first plat for "the town of Seattle."
May 24
- 1869Grand Canyon: John Wesley Powell's boats leave Green River City.
- 1879Billings, MT: Frederick Billings becomes president of the Northern Pacific, a job he holds until June 1881.
May 26
May 27
- 1657Naugatuck, CT: Settlers at Paugasuck ask to buy land "over Naugatuck River," the first recorded use.
May 28
- 1653Portsmouth, NH: The General Court lets the town be called Portsmouth.
May 29
- 1751Rocky Mountains: Saint-Pierre's men head up the Paskoya River "jusqu'à la montagne de Roche."
- 1835Dodge City, KS: Col. Henry Dodge leaves Fort Leavenworth on an expedition that, Andreas says, located a fort named Dodge.
- 1848Wisconsin: Wisconsin joins the Union.
- 1858South Dakota: Alpheus G. Fuller asks Congress to seat him as delegate from a "Dakota territory" that doesn't exist yet.
May 30
- 1854Kansas City, MO: Kansas Territory is organized, years after the town took the name.
May 31
- 1833Mount Rainier: William Fraser Tolmie writes that local Indians call the mountain "Puskehouse."