Different name for Washington state?

Luminous

The four districts of the Provisional Government of Oregon may provide some inspiration.

Oregon_provisional_districts_1843.jpg
 
Clandango

Clandango

TC9078 said:
Georgia only vanished in the late 1700s I thought?
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I think it may have been autonomous under the Persians. But yes, my comment was quite off. If they did name Washington Columbia I imagine they would name Colombia Gran Colombia (as people do even though it was just called Colombia when a large union) or they call it New Granada.
 

Luminous

mikegold said:
Some Twality names here. What in the Yamhill were those old pioneers thinking when they came up with this Clackamas?
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+1 Internets for that.

However, if we go by the original designs in the treaty, the settlers wanted the region to be called Columbia, after the river. The reason the state was named Washington was that it was a political move to gain support for the territory itself. Source for quotes:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120426....org/magazine/articles/1988/0288/0288-a1.aspx

Upon the completion of Lane's speech, a new issue was injected into the proceedings. Suddenly the question was not whether the new territory should be created, but what name it should be called. Representative Richard Stanton of Kentucky rose and moved that the bill be amended by striking the word "Columbia" wherever it occurred and substituting "Washington."

Lane, perhaps sensing that this would give his colleagues new reason to vote for his bill-to give honor to the first president-without hesitation said, "I shall never object to that name."

Jones persisted in his effort to get a vote on his motion to table the bill, but he was interrupted by Representative Edward Stanley of North Carolina who made a short speech favoring the name Washington. "There is something very appropriate about it," Stanley said. " And it is a little singular that this same idea should have occurred to others at the same time." He had suggested it to his seat mate moments before, but he realized it "might lead to trouble" if there should be a city of Washington in a state by that name. "Washington, Washington" would hardly do.

The House then voted favorably on the motion to substitute "Washington" for "Columbia" without being told that it was contrary to the wishes of the people involved, emphatically expressed many times. That taken care of, the consideration of the bill itself was put aside while the House took up debate on a bill to create the territory of Nebraska.
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The only opposition was by one representative who made his own suggestions.

One congressman made an attempt to restore the name "Columbia" to the Washington bill. Representative Alexander Evans of Maryland agreed that no one would object to honoring George Washington but, he said, "our geographical nomenclature has become such a mass of confusion that it is almost impossible, when you hear the name of a town, to know in what part of the world it is, much less to know in what part of the United States it may be found. We have perhaps in this country one hundred counties and towns of the name of Washington." Evans suggested giving northern Oregon "one of the beautiful Indian names which prevail in that part of the country." But it was too late. "Washington" had already been substituted for "Columbia" all through the bill, and that is the way it passed the House.
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Which basically came to the point that everything was named after Washington. Your best bet is to name it either Columbia or after one of the native tribes. Cascadia is actually not a good name at this point in time. It's a good name if the PoD is much later, but the residents of Washington were wedded to the rivers and to the sea, not the mountains. Some variant of Sylvania could work, as the region was heavily wooded. (Pennsylvania is just a Latinized, and modified, form of "Penn's Forest")

As for which native tribes could be used, there are a few. Note that Governor Gaines of the Oregon territory, around this same time, did refer to a few friendly tribes (in reference to the future borders of Oregon):

Governor Gaines was well aware of the separatist movement in the north, as well as another in southern Oregon. Addressing himself "to friends of separate territorial government in northern Oregon as well as those of Umpqua, Rogue River, Shasta, etc.," he said a Mr. Matlock had introduced a bill for the formation of a state with a new territory on both its north and south sides. He said the boundaries of this state would probably be the Columbia River on the north and Umpqua Mountains on the south.
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The various tribes mentioned are all either coastal or along the rivers, none of the inland tribes. And, as settlement in Washington originated from Willamette River and traveled upwards toward the Columbia River, and from there, overland towards the Puget. Some of the settlers also came down the Snake River as well (I think)

So, that gives you the following tribes. Spoiling the maps afterwards, as these are big maps, and including tribes on the south side of the river as well.

Columbia River: Chinook, Clatskanie, Chehalis, Kwalhiokwa, Cowlitz, Klikitat, Tenino, Yakima, Umatilla
Puget Sound: Quinault, Quillutehoh, Makah, Klallam, Chemakun, Twalla, Nisqually, Puyallup, Snuqualmi, Duwamish,Skykomish, Skagit, Lummi, Nooksak
Snake River and others: Palus, Cayuse, Spokane, Kittitas, Chelan, Mothow, Wenatchi, Okanagan

There are plenty others as well. Also, there could be alternate spellings or even Anglicizations (or both) to make the final name for the region. EDIT: second image broke; just took a screenshot instead of the relevant region.

washington.jpg

tribes of oregon.JPG
 
Clandango

Clandango

fjihr said:
I mean, the US does have a weird affinity to weird names.

2d0ce66cf9803fb122236d2489f27e96.jpg
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There is a reason those names and borders weren't used for the most part. And I like how Jefferson is a state. I know he wouldn't name it that himself, but it reminds me of how he submitted his own recommendation for building the White House to the committee (which he was a member of) even though it flagrantly went against the guidelines that it would be suitable for living quarters, office space, etc, as well as being expandable for future needs. He offered a square that looked like Monticello. Anyways, a lot of the stranger names are based upon tribes. Or the butchered English versions of their names.
 
Clandango

Clandango

Luminous said:
Which basically came to the point that everything was named after Washington. Your best bet is to name it either Columbia or after one of the native tribes. Cascadia is actually not a good name at this point in time. It's a good name if the PoD is much later, but the residents of Washington were wedded to the rivers and to the sea, not the mountains. Some variant of Sylvania could work, as the region was heavily wooded. (Pennsylvania is just a Latinized, and modified, form of "Penn's Forest")

As for which native tribes could be used, there are a few. Note that Governor Gaines of the Oregon territory, around this same time, did refer to a few friendly tribes (in reference to the future borders of Oregon):
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Can't see the Shasta tribe on the map, but I think that name would be fantastic.
EDIT: I wrote that while replying after the update, so didn't see the second map. I can see them down in California, but that shouldn't be a problem.
 

Luminous

Clandango said:
Can't see the Shasta tribe on the map, but I think that name would be fantastic.
EDIT: I wrote that while replying after the update, so didn't see the second map. I can see them down in California, but that shouldn't be a problem.
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No problem. Was broken because the original was so huge. Link here if you want it: http://www.emersonkent.com/images/indian_tribes.jpg

Also, having the US Congress pick the name of a native tribe that isn't even in the territory would be an... honest miscalculation on their part which could actually fit. So even the more well-known tribes in Oregon could fit as well.
 
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