From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History (Indiana)

Ronald L. Baker presents the folklore and the history of the names of populated places in Indiana. Over 4,000 entries are arranged alphabetically and include the current spellings, local pronunciations, and origins of Indiana place names, as well as variant spellings and variant names and dates of settlement and/or establishment. This fascinating cultural study offers the lore, folk legends, jokes, and anecdotes that flesh out the bare bones of dates and details, humanizing the study of place names. Place-name legends may be more fanciful than factual, but they provide the student of culture with information on what the names mean to the people who use them: telling these legends enables Hoosiers to form a closer bond with their region and to situate themselves in history.