Killin’ Time (The Final Chapter)

Another Mystery SolvedKTime ten369

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10 Responses to Killin’ Time (The Final Chapter)

  1. Michael R. Kesti says:

    Bravo!

  2. Chris Peterson says:

    So the age-old question is answered: Whether the Yuba got it’s name from the Spanish or the Maidu.

    Neither.

    Well done, Bob.

    • Judith Lowry says:

      It is Spanish.
      It come from the word “uva” meaning grape.
      Wild grapes were abundant in the Yuba region and staple of the Nisenan diet, hence the name “Rio de las uvas”
      Up river where my tribes live, the Spanish named the source river “River de los Plumas”.
      Quiz: What did the Spanish find in abundance there, what did they name it and what is its name in English?

      • Chris Peterson says:

        Yubu, or Yubam, or Yuba, was also the name of a Maidu village at the mouth of the river now called the Yuba. Indian custom was to also name the river after the village at the mouth of the river.
        The University of California disputes your claim to Spanish origin, calling it rather, “an imaginary derivation” in their paper on American Archaeology and Ethnology of 1916. And though much has been learned since then, we still don’t have any factual recorded history of the term’s origination; it’s all conjecture at this point.

        Many assume it was derived from the Spanish speaking people who were here before the miners because there was easier communication between them and later settlers, but such is not always the case.

        As I said… the debate goes on. For now; I’ll go with Henry and his way-back machine as it has nearly as much factual evidence as the other two origins.

        • Judith Lowry says:

          There was some Spanish incorporated into the Mountain Maidu language, especially for things previously unknown to them, like “casa bona” for house, or “ca-ba-yo” for horse.
          Not sure about the Nisenan though.
          There actually has been a great deal discovered about the indigenous languages since 1916.
          Best authority I know on the Nisenan tongue would be Dr. Sheri Tatsch, who has mapped their language for more than thirty years.

          But, yes, Bob’s version is funnier and more entertaining.

  3. Greg Goodknight says:

    Three groaning chuckles.

    Probably wouldn’t have been funny without the long setup.

  4. Ryan Mount says:

    Thoroughly enjoyed this series. Thanks so much.

    I guess we should be thankful he wasn’t fond of Chock Full of Nuts.

  5. rlcrabb says:

    Or Sanka. My brother-in-law told me that in the early fifties the water in Wolf Creek ran white. The creamer effect?

    • Ryan Mount says:

      > Or Sanka.

      Sanka seems to work for a creek, but not a river. As in, “Sanka Creek.” Isn’t there a tradition of naming creeks after beverages? Perhaps we should get corporations to sponsor our waterways? So San Francisco Bay could become “Monster Bay.” The Middle fork of the Yuba could become “The Briar Patch presents: The Middle Fork of the Yuba River.”

      > The creamer effect?

      Ouch.

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