Naming city streets—from Sopley to Goose Gulch

Press, 15 April 1978, Page 10

Naming city streets—from Sopley to Goose Gulch

By

STAN DARLING

Names are news, a South Canterbury editor used to tell his staff. The

more names you could get into a story, the better. Readers loved to see their names in print.

Names may not be exactly. big tews at the Christchurch City Council, but they are the basis for some minor skirmishes these days. Each time a new subdivision street or lane is created, it must have a name that does not clash with other place names. Many city street names — apart from those of pioneers — are associated with English places. Cr W. J. A. Brittenden does his best to come up with a choice, so that if some ideas are discarded, others can quickly be slotted into the pattern. Three names were suggested recently for short streets off Mitcham Place — Fordingbridge Lane, Sopley Lane and Ibsley Lane. Some councillors balked at the latter two suggestions. They said that street names should be pleasing to the ear; Sopley and Ibslev did not seem to fit.

That criticism would not be pleasing to the ears of Sopley and Ibsley resi-

dents. Cr Brittenden said they were both delightful places, near the New Forest. People living there were proud of them. Names proposed all had something to do with Hampshire. He said one alternative was Middle Wallop. Or Ringwood could be chosen. Someone said that sounded like a disease. The question was asked, and it may keep coming up, why street names had to be from Britain. More Maori names might be ap-

propriate, and other countries with English backgrounds that had a wealth of names just waiting to be imitated, Canada and the United States, admittedly more melting-pot societies than New Zealand, could be two examples. Out in Oregon; we had names like other people have mice. They could easily be transferred from towns there. After all, we were just as much English under the skin as other folk. Drain, for instance. There is a name that could be used almost anywhere in the city. How about Riddle, Myrtle,

Bearbones, Humbug, Canary, Ada and Packsaddle? Stayput — there is a name urging you to settle down. Or Vida, a riverside community sometimes referred to as La Dolce Vida. Grandmother lived for awhile on the Clackamas, before shifting to Lebanon. Other reminders of our mult i-national outlook abounded. Somewhere out there in the forests were London, Paris, Rome and Garibaldi. The places were good,

even if the names were far-fetched. Buena Vista, Bellfountain, Terrebonne, Pistol River, Glad Gulch, Sour Grade. That last one could be used for a few city streets falling into disrepair. Out where Grandfather roamed were the real cowboy towns — Antelope, Shaniko, Maupin, Tygh Valley, Boyd, Dufur, Wasco, Rufus, Biggs, Frenchglen. Stinkingwater was near Drinkwater Pass. Unity, Looking Glass, Cornucopia, Flora, Troy, Athena and Hinkle came from the same general neighbourhood. Closer to civilisation were the delightful Cot-

tage Grove, Sweet Home and Swiss Home. A nook for everyone. Dp in Washington State, they had Skookumchuck. One property developer digging deep for street name inspiration came up with Shandir Drive, a combination of Short and Dirty Ridge, the nearby landmark. Further afield were Chuckanut, Pyht, Dollar Corner, Bumping, Goose Prairie, Moonax, Twisp, Liberty Corner, Wilma, Wilbur, Big Four, Scenic, Moxee City and Pe Ell. There was even a George Washington. In Quebec, the pioneers were never at a loss for names. They just reached into the grab-bag of saints and voila — now they have St Cyr, St Isidore, St Camile, St Claude, St Fortunat, St Übald, St Stanislas, St Edouard de Frampton, St Alban, St Sylvestre and many more. They are all within a hundred miles of the St Lawrence Seaway. Not all the French names won out. Between La Tuque and La Croche is Fitzpatrick. A good mix of names always looks more interesting. In a small area of Upper Michigan are Leo, Gatzke, Grygla, Lachine, Polaski, Spruce, Cheboygan, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Good

Hart, Traverse and Rasmus. To the north, Ontario has its share of Dashwoods, Thetfords, Winchelseas, and Tralees. It also has Zurich, Listowel, Kurtzv, Lucknow, Mildmay, Neustadt, and Tara. Romance is in Arkansas, hear an Oil Trough, according to the map. A Cotton Plant is not far away. They ' mingle with Locust, Pencil, Lost Corner, Ash Flat, Friley, Yellville, Catalpa, Cass and Forty Four. Oshkosh and Calapooya come to mind. So does Shinbone, which could be connected by names to any other kind of bone. Some place names probably should be avoided, if only to prevent unkind snickers. Bucksmear, Two Tips, Buffalo Wallow, Tasteful, Headlight, Needmore, Willacoochee, Crabapple, No Comment, Hidden Pig, Chatterbox and Goosegravy come in that category. Christchurch already has some Canadian names on its streets — Vancouver Crescent, Ottawa Road, Niagara, Ontario, Quebec, Baffin, Huron. There may be room for more. One Pacific North-west town even seems to be named after a street. It is called Culdesac.