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Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names — Passage 8

Edward Manning Ruttenber (1906) 185 words View original →

[Edward Manning Ruttenber (1906)] Minnahanock, given as the name of Blackwell's Island, was interpreted by Dr. Trumbull from _Munnŏhan,_ Mass., the indefinite form of _Munnŏh,_ "Island," and _auke,_ Mass., "Land" or place. Dr. O'Callaghan's "Island home," is not in the composition. (See Mannhonake.) * * * * * On Manhattan Island. Kapsee, Kapsick, etc., the name of what was the extreme point of land between Hudson's River and the East River, and still known as Copsie Point, was claimed by Dr. Schoolcraft to be Algonquian, and to mean, "Safe place of landing," which it may have been. The name, however, is pretty certainly a corruption of Dutch _Kaap-hoekje,_ "A little cape or promontory." Saponickan and Sapohanican are the earliest forms of a name which appears later Sappokanican, Sappokanikke, Saponican, Shawbackanica, Taponkanico, etc. "A piece of land bounded on the north by the strand road, called Saponickan" (1629); "Tobacco plantation _near_ Sapohanican" (1639); "Plantation situate against the Reed Valley _beyond_ Sappokanican" (1640). Wouter van Twiller purchased the tract, in 1629, for the use of the Dutch government and established thereon a tobacco plantation, with buildings enclosed in palisade, which subsequently