Wisconsin is a little quirky in its own charming way, and one of the ways its the most quirky is the names of some of the towns. Here are some of my favorites.
Oconomowoc. Originally, the town was named Coo-no-mo-wauk, which is Potawatomi for waterfall. If you're going to switch the name, you'd think they'd switch it to something like "Bayfield" but no--they wanted to keep us on our toes.
Random Lake. The origin of the name is debatable. More reliable sources have said that surveyors came across this lake accidentally and hence it was named "Random Lake." Others have alleged that a Mr. Random was floating around at the time of the naming. Nevertheless, it's kind of a funny name.
Fence. It's actually named after an American Indian hunting method. They'd build a fence, which deer would jump over and then get impaled. And now 200 people live in the town!
Egg Harbor. It was named as such because of an epic fight (all in good fun) between fur traders who threw so many eggs at each other that the shores were covered in egg shells. I wish these guys went to college with me!
Manitowoc. I've never met anyone from Illinois who pronounces it correctly. Apparently, some Indians saw a spirit near the mouth of the river and named it Manitowoc because the word for spirit is "manitou." We still don't know if the spirit was good or evil.
Kewaunee. When Indians were out on the lake, they'd sometimes get turned around in the thick fog. They'd yell "Kewaunee" which means "I'm lost." People on shore would guide them with their voices back to land.
