Hometown Humor Part I

Have you ever wondered why some American towns have names like Toad Suck or Embarrass? The stories behind these names are just as quirky as the names themselves.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/states/funniest-town-name-all-50-states

https://www.vroomvroomvroom.com/fun/top-120-cities-with-funny-names/

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-35-weirdest-city-and-town-names-in-the-usa

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Welcome to the Cashley Show. We are Kevin and Ashley. We started this podcast after recent tragedies to take a break from negativity and discover the good things happening all around us. Are you here today, Kevin?

SPEAKER_03 0:25

Yeah, I'm just texting. I can text and drive. Why can't I text and do this?

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Because you're not talking. All right. Today's shout out is for Allie. She does listen with her kids, and it is her birthday this week. So happy birthday, Allie.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

Happy birthday.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

And thanks for listening.

SPEAKER_03 0:41

Yeah, those little kids better listen to your mother on her birthday special day. No, don't you say no to me. Listen to her. Hey. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Alright, today's Laffy Taffy. Ready, Kevin? It's not ready.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Today's Laffy Taffy is what did the bartender say to the turkey sandwich when it tried to order a beer?

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Alright, do it again. It's a bit of a long one. This fits on a laffy taffy?

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Probably not because it's talking about bartender.

SPEAKER_03 1:12

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

What did the bartender say to the turkey sandwich when it tried to order a beer?

SPEAKER_03 1:18

Okay. What did the bartender say to the turkey? Oh, there's a turkey sandwich. Turkey sandwiches of cranberries on them. Beer, we have to be old enough. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Sorry, we don't serve food here.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

I'm always way too far over and deep on all of these.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Just assume they're all little kid jokes. Except for talking about beer.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

I think at first my my brain kicked in and like a turkey's in there. I don't know why I left out the sandwich part.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Yeah. Alright, today's episode is Hometown Humor. This is part one. This is funny city names.

SPEAKER_03 1:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

So on these, I have it's a lot of names I have, but do you want me to just tell you the name or do you want me to tell you like the history of the name? Because I have the history of all the names already. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

I kind of like the history, like history of word, history of different buildings and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Okay. America is full of towns with names that make you look twice. Whether they come from puns or old legends, these unusual names reveal the colorful history of each place. First up is Bacon Level, Alabama.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

Bacon level?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 2:31

And if it was just bacon, that would be like that's a fine name. Bacon level, what does that even mean?

SPEAKER_00 2:37

So in the early 1800s, travelers passing through were robbed at their camp. Locals warned them that outlaws were hiding where the trail leveled out. When the travelers reached that spot, they found their stolen bacon and the name stuck.

SPEAKER_03 2:52

Oh, it was bacon that got stolen? Bacon. Yeah, that's dumb.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

I don't think any of these are like that's amazing. They just kind of all right. Next is North Pole Alaska.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

So someone in our church actually just moved to our town from there.

SPEAKER_03 3:11

From North Pole or from Alaska?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

From North Pole, Alaska.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Oh really? I didn't know that. I thought it was just Alaska.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

North Pole Alaska. So in 1952, a development company bought a small town called Davis and renamed it North Pole, hoping the new name would attract a toy factory. The factory never came, but the name remained.

SPEAKER_03 3:31

That's Alaska. You're gonna build toys all up in Alaska? They'd be so expensive to like ship back down. You gotta ship all the supplies there.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Well, lots of stuff gets shipped up, so it seems like shipping down is just the return boat.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Okay. Half the cost, maybe. Yeah, maybe. It's gotta go back anyways.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Mm-hmm. A couple more Alaskas.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Some of these are kind of rough because I don't know other languages at all. So the next one is Un Alaska, Alaska.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

Unalaska, Alaska? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

This is the largest city in the Aluthian? Alut Alut the Islands? Yep, some islands.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

Was first called Those are the islands that I think trail off.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:18

Right? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

No, it was first called Ungunalash by the Anagan people, meaning near the peninsula. Russian fur traders changed it to Onalask Onalashka, which later became Unalaska. The name refers to its location near Alaska, not a lack of it.

SPEAKER_03 4:38

Okay. It's confusing. There's a lot. There's like natives and Russians and then something.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 4:43

Okay. Unalaska, Alaska.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

On Alaska Alaska. Next is Ek Alaska. Ek. This remote village gets its name from the central Yepik word IIK, which means two eyes.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

Oh, okay. Yeah. And it does have two eyes because it's I.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

But two eyeballs, like spelled like eyeballs.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

Why would you name a town two eyes?

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Well, I the village's language IIK apparently says eek, but means two eyeballs.

SPEAKER_03 5:14

More, I feel like my question still stands. Why would you name a town two eyeballs?

SPEAKER_00 5:19

Oh, we get a lot more weird, so just hang on, get it. All right. Next is Y, Arizona.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

WHY is there a question mark in it? Two?

SPEAKER_00 5:30

No, but it actually was named something. So hold on. Okay. This small community near the US Mexican border was named after the was named after the Y-shaped intersection of two highways. Arizona law requires place names to have at least three letters. So they want it to be named the letter Y, but they it became W H Y.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

Because they wouldn't let them just use Y. And YYY doesn't say Y. That says I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Yeah. Next is Gripe, Arizona. An agricultural inspector near Solomonville heard so many complaints from motorists on a rough travel day that he joked the area should be called Gripe. Soon after, an official sign went up. We like to complain in this town. Next is Turkey Scratch, Arkansas. Local stories say the name comes from the wild turkeys that once roamed the area.

SPEAKER_03 6:32

Why turkey scratch? I don't know. Turkey, Arkansas.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Or are they like scratch around? Well, sure, but like So that was our turkey scratch.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

I'm not gonna name my town dog butt scoot.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Well, maybe be better some of these names coming. Is Smackover, Arkansas.

SPEAKER_03 6:53

Arizona, Alaska, Arkansas. Did you just run through the A's, or is this how this is working out?

SPEAKER_00 6:58

They're yeah, they're alphabetical. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:00

So we got I guess that makes sense then.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Yeah. So French trappers first settled the town, and its name probably comes from the French term for local creek. Shemon covert? Some say it comes from a story about someone jumping smack over the creek.

SPEAKER_03 7:17

Jumping smack over the creek?

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Must be an old term.

SPEAKER_03 7:20

Jumping smack?

SPEAKER_00 7:22

I jumped smack over the creek.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

Yeah, that means nothing to me.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Just gives it a funny name. Next one, Toad Suck Arkansas. This odd name goes back to the days of steamboat travel on the Arkansas River. When the water was low, boat crews would wait at the tavern. Locals joke that the men would suck on the bottle till they swelled up like toads.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Do you swell up when you drink?

SPEAKER_00 7:51

I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 7:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

Alright, next trivia. Kevin?

SPEAKER_03 7:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

What is the largest airport in the US?

SPEAKER_03 8:00

Not the New York airport?

SPEAKER_00 8:02

You will be surprised.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

So it's not like O'Hare LaGuardia LAX.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

So this is, I don't know, like this is land area. Oh. So like size of the actual airport is no. Yes, it is. It's actually the Denver International Airport.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

Oh, okay. I think I've heard that before.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

It spans approximately 53 square miles, 33,917 acres, making it the largest airport by land area in the country.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

I do think I've heard that now that you mentioned it.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

I thought that was crazy. Denver's not that big. I mean it's big, but not like New York big.

SPEAKER_03 8:43

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Back to the silly city names. Next one is Rough and Ready, California.

SPEAKER_03 8:49

Rough and ready. I think I've heard this rough and ready.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

I I think we've driven by it. Right. So they may have taken its name from a local mining company, but the name also proved the town's earliest residents were known for standing up for their beliefs in the 1850s. Frustrated by taxation, they succeeded from the Union to create their own republic. I had no idea that happened. They must have gone back at some point though.

SPEAKER_03 9:15

Yeah, like they succeeded in succession. Succeeded in seceding. Like they just let them go? Because I mean the South tried to just go and they said, nah. And then they thought about it. But this little place in California, they're like, yeah, that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

I guess they didn't care about this little town in California.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

Just let it go. They'll be back.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

They're not letting a whole big Texas go, but town.

SPEAKER_03 9:39

They'll be back.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

Whatever. You'll need us at some point. That's interesting. Next one is No Name Colorado. This sits near No Name Creek and No Name Canyon. So this is likely when a surveyor or mapper ran out of names.

SPEAKER_03 9:56

Yep. There's no name. No one knows what this is called. No name.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Who cares? This town. Just called no name. Next one is Hazardville, Connecticut. It was once known for making gunpowder, but its name actually came from Colonel Augustus George Hazard, who bought and grew the company in 1837.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

A last name of Hazard? The Dukes of Hazzard. Is that Hazard County? So I guess Hazard is a name is more common? Yeah. I don't know. I guess.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Next is Corner Kitch, Delaware.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

What does that mean? Corner Kitch.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Did we look it up?

SPEAKER_03 10:34

No.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

It got its name from local stories about a rowdy bar. People say the bar's patrons were so quarrelsome that locals would warn newcomers they'll catch ye at the corner.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Next is two egg Florida. This supposedly got its name during the Great Depression when two youngsters traded two eggs with a shopkeeper for sugar.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

Why does that name an entire town?

SPEAKER_00 11:01

Maybe they were from the no-name town. There were those boys got two eggs.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

Yep. There were a lot more no-names, and they have since have gotten names.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

Such as two eggs, such as Slap Creek. Whatever. What was the other one? What was that? Slap Jack? Slap Slap Something, Arkansas.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Climax, Georgia. It was founded in the 1880s and named for its location at the highest point on the rail on the railroad between Savannah and the Chattahoochee River.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

Way on y'all on it on a Chattahoochee.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Next up we got some Idaho.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

Do you know the song I was singing? Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Bunch of Idaho.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

Oh, really? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

Next is Atomic City, Idaho.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

It's gonna be out by the site, right? By the nuclear site.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

It just says it's close to the Idaho National Laboratory.

SPEAKER_03 11:51

Yeah, yeah, that's a nuclear site.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:53

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

So it was first called Midway, but they changed it in the 1950s. Next one is Beer Bottle Crossing in Idaho. It got its name from local stories about partygoers who used to hang out there and left empty bottles behind. So this is a not really like a town, just like a place? Yeah, like a forester. Okay. Like a anyways. Ready for Cashley's take? Yes. How do you feel about holding doors for people? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I think you should definitely hold doors for people. Kevin's like, yeah, I do that all the time.

SPEAKER_03 12:27

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Kevin's very good at that.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

Why would you not hold doors for someone? I mean if they're like a long ways away. Right. But if they're within like five steps or something.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

I think it's rude when people just look at you and then let go of the door.

unknown 12:42

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Or also I don't like having to hold the door for a whole bunch of people.

SPEAKER_03 12:47

Yeah, usually I'm not. I guess I'm not holding the door to where like I'm not going in and I'm like holding it and like ushering them in. I usually like hold it open as I'm going in. Yeah. I like don't go all the way through until people have come.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah, but if like someone's coming out and you like, oh back up and like hold the door. Oh. But then like they keep coming and coming, you're like, okay, I'm not here for I'm not getting paid for this guy.

SPEAKER_03 13:09

It's like in traffic. Like I let one person in or one person through. But I'm not letting everybody in. Like let's take turns guessing. Right, let's zipper merge this, okay? I'm not stopping and letting your entire lane through.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Right. Next one is Dick Shooter, Idaho.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

Oh. Whoa.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

It is now considered a populated place. Its unusual name came from the early residents. Is it just one lady? Named Dick Shooter. Oh. That was his name.

SPEAKER_03 13:38

That's a terrible. Oh, geez. Why would you name someone there?

SPEAKER_00 13:43

I'm sure it didn't have the same meaning.

SPEAKER_03 13:45

It's like your last name being McDonald and you name your son Ronald. Don't why would you do that? Don't do that.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Because they love him.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

Because they believe in magic.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Next one is Soda Springs, Idaho.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

I like Soda Springs.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

I've never been there.

SPEAKER_03 14:02

What is the hot springs called?

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Well, Down Ada?

SPEAKER_03 14:07

No. The other one? The bigger one? Everyone goes to the lava? Yeah, lava.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

It got its name from the naturally carbonated springs in the area. I had no idea that springs were carbonated.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

Yeah, they they ha they harvest like soda ash up there. I don't really know what the or maybe pot ash. Um I think it's like fertilizer and they put it in soil and stuff like that. I think.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Because I know like the volcano ash is supposed to be really good for like your gardens-ish thing.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

Probably. And maybe I'm remembering or thinking incorrectly. We drove by it at night, and it was weird because it was like almost like lava, like on the mountain side.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_03 14:48

Yeah, it was it was pretty cool. Yeah, that is kind of weird, like to have carbonated water just coming out of the ground, right? Is that what you're saying? Mm-hmm. I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking of somewhere else. I thought that that's what that was. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Go for it. Phosphate mining, I guess. Yeah, soda ash is sodium carbonate and is heavily associated with the enormous Trona deposits in Wyoming. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

All right. Next up is Normal Illinois. It was first called North Bloomington when it was laid out in 1854. In 1865, it was renamed Normal after the Illinois State Normal University, which was a teacher training school in the 19th century.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

So like a university that taught you how to be normal?

SPEAKER_00 15:34

It was taught you how to be a teacher.

SPEAKER_03 15:37

Why was it called normal?

unknown 15:38

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Because it was the normal school. Next one is French Lick, Indiana. It got its name from the 18th century French trading post near a mineral spring. French honors the early settlers, and Lick refers to the salty mineral deposit that drew wildlife to the springs.

SPEAKER_03 16:01

Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Next one is like salt licks type stuff, but next one is What Cheer, Iowa. It was founded more than 150 years ago by settler Peter Britton, who first called it Petersburg in the 1860s. Joseph Andrews suggested the name What Cheer after an old English greeting and the new name caught on.

SPEAKER_03 16:27

Yeah. What cheer?

SPEAKER_00 16:28

What cheer? Next one is Last Chance, Iowa. This town is so small, there isn't even census data available for it.

SPEAKER_03 16:38

Last chance?

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Mm-hmm. I wonder if it's as you're heading into another state.

SPEAKER_03 16:44

Probably. But it's like I don't know. Moving to last chance. Like when you move there, that seems disheartening.

unknown 16:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

It's my last chance. Last move. Here we go. Hope this works out.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

The next one is gas Kansas.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

Gas can? And then what?

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Kansas.

SPEAKER_03 17:04

Gas can what?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Alright, it got its name after the natural gas was discovered in the area in 1898. Locals haven't embraced the playful name. The town's motto is don't pass gas, stop and enjoy it. Next one is Bee Lick, Kentucky.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

There's a lot of licks. More licks than I thought there were gonna be, at least.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

It gets its name from Bee Lick Creek, which It's 1120.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

Do we need to do this podcast later at night so we don't interrupt your texting?

SPEAKER_00 17:38

It gets its name from Bee Lick Creek, which was named for the for the many bees in the area. In Kentucky, a lick is a natural spot where salt and minerals come up from the ground. Right. Animals, including bees and other wildlife, would gather there to lick the salty soil.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

Bees do it too. I don't know. I will have to look that up.

unknown 18:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

That's interesting. Huh. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

Next is the newlywed game.

SPEAKER_03 18:06

We're not newlyweds. We're oldieweds.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

And we call it oldieweds?

SPEAKER_03 18:11

No.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

How many pillows does your partner sleep with? Kevin sleeps with three.

SPEAKER_03 18:16

Do I? Let's count the bed right now.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

One's on a chair because someone took his pillowcase. But usually three.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

But mostly just have two. Like that one. That one's like a teeny tiny flat one. I usually put my feet on it to give a little lift or something.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

You can sleep with three. It's on your feet. It's usually just roaming around.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

Right. It's roaming around the bed. It's a free-range pillow. It does.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Between your legs, behind your back. You do lots of things with all three of your pillows.

SPEAKER_03 18:49

Fine.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

How many pillows do I sleep with?

SPEAKER_03 18:51

One.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Kevin's fancy. He needs two pillows.

SPEAKER_03 18:56

Yep, you're pillow monogamous.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Congratulations. I don't know what I'd call you. Pillow friendly.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Pillow friendly. Nice.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Alright, next is Monkey's Eyebrow Kentucky.

SPEAKER_03 19:09

Kentucky ain't got no monkeys.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

It got its name from local stories. One resident thought a crescent-shaped hill behind an old community store covered in tall grass looked just like a monkey's eyebrow. Done.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Next one is shoulder blade, Kentucky.

SPEAKER_03 19:30

Not monkey shoulder blade.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

No. This town was named after a nearby creek, which was named after an early explorer or settler who found a large animal bone on the bank that resembled a shoulder blade.

SPEAKER_03 19:44

Why is that significant enough to make it a name of a town?

SPEAKER_00 19:47

I think people ran out of names to name things.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

And they're just like, oh, this is a sparkly rock. Let's name it that.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

We'll name this town sparkly rock. Right? Like maybe if the shoulder blade bone was like a dinosaur bone or like something significant. There's like a elk bone, cow bone, or bison, probably. Right?

SPEAKER_00 20:06

If the yeah, like that's not seems like maybe someone who was mapping areas were like just going through and found things and just said, Oh, this we'll name this this.

SPEAKER_03 20:17

Some sort of name.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

But see, I feel that if someone then later came and found that town and actually lived there, they should change it and to what they wanted to.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

Yeah, that's also interesting to me that like towns get renamed.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

If you got monkey eyebrows, I feel like okay. Yeah, maybe you should change the name.

SPEAKER_03 20:36

I feel like it should be monkey brow, also. There's just more it just flows better. Monkey eyebrows, too many different syllables, sounds. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

We got a couple more Kentucky.

SPEAKER_03 20:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Next one is bug tussle.

SPEAKER_03 20:50

Tussle, like fighting?

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:52

So they used to do bug fights.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Well, no. So the small the small village near the Tennessee border is said to have gotten its name because so many doodle bugs.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

What's a doodle bug?

SPEAKER_00 21:03

I'll look it up. Lived in the hay piles people used for naps. The bugs were so common that folks had to tussle with them to get a good spot. You had to fight with a bug to get a spot to nap on the hay?

SPEAKER_03 21:15

I would probably sleep somewhere else.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

A a doodle bug?

SPEAKER_00 21:19

Apparently it's a scooter. Doodle bug in flight.

SPEAKER_03 21:26

Looks kind of like a cicada, is what I think of.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't sleep with these.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

Antlion larva. The larval stage of the antlion is famously known as the doodle bug. But apparently it's a fun and cute name, so it's used for all sorts of things. Like businesses and all sorts of other stuff.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Hmm.

SPEAKER_03 21:43

Yeah, because this is an antlion. Looks like apparently also rolly pulleys. Are these like the bugs that like they create like the little spiral things in the ground? And so like ants get in and then they fall down, and then this comes up and eats them, I believe.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

Yuck. Those look yucky. Next one is You need us, Louisiana.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

You need us?

SPEAKER_00 22:02

You need us.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

You need us?

SPEAKER_00 22:04

The town grew up around the Lake Superior Piling Company. A lumber business that built model farms nearby. The company's slogan, you need us, inspired the town's name and clever way to promote itself. So the town is actually spelled the letter U and then need us.

SPEAKER_03 22:23

Yeah, that's like what I was that's why I was saying it that way. You need us. Kind of like Cletus.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:28

Like you need us.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

You probably they probably say it like that you said it, but next one is Porcupine Island's Main. Huh. These five islands were named because of their round shapes and spiky trees, look like porcupines. The group includes Burnt Porcupine Island, Long Porcupine Island, Bald Porcupine Island, Sheep Porcupine Island, and Rumkey.

SPEAKER_03 22:53

Rumkey?

SPEAKER_00 22:54

Rumkey.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

What does that mean?

SPEAKER_00 22:56

I have no idea.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

Rumkey Porcupine Island or just Rumkey?

SPEAKER_00 22:59

Just Rumkey. Yeah, so that one gets left out.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

Poor Poor Island.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Next one is Boring, Maryland. The village was first called Fairview, but in 1880, the U.S. Postal Service said there were too many towns with that name. People decided to honor their first postmaster, David J. Boring. They named the town after him.

SPEAKER_03 23:24

Unfortunate name again.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Should have gone with David. Davidville.

SPEAKER_03 23:27

Davidville. Davidton.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

Yeah. Davidville. Instead of boring. Alright. This week, na is July 13th is National Beans and Franks.

SPEAKER_03 23:38

Franks and beans.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

People really eat hot dogs and like bake beans together.

SPEAKER_03 23:43

Yeah, I used to do all the time. Like, well, maybe not all the time, right? But like yeah, as a kid. Kind of like mac and cheese with hot dogs. I used to do that as a kid. Right. You just I don't think you have dreamy hot dogs in your life.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

Yeah, no, it's okay. That's fine.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

I think I did have it once, but I think it just makes the macaroni taste like hot dog. I never did it ever again.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

Which is why I think maybe I liked it.

SPEAKER_00 24:03

Yeah, and I'd I'd rather have the taste of macaroni and it's a little bit more. Just drinking that hot dog water.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

Ew. I never did.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

And next one is Colon, Michigan. The official records say the town was named after a city in Panama.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Why?

SPEAKER_00 24:22

I don't know. Someone came there from Panama? We'll call it Colon.

SPEAKER_03 24:27

Alright.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Next one, Hell, Michigan.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

I've never been to Michigan. But maybe it's I would think it's cold.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Maybe not in the summer.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

But this is located on Hell Creek, about 50 miles from Detroit. The town has been around since 1840 and has really embraced its name. There's the Hell Chapel of Love for weddings, places scattered ashes, and lots of tongue-in-cheek tourism. You can even buy a square inch of Hell or be mayor for a day. Still people debate where the town's fiery name actually came from. Next one is Embarrass, Minnesota.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

How many people live there? No.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

But it came from the name came from a French word embarrassed, which means an obstacle or something hard to get past. French fur trappers and priests gave the name to the nearby Embarrass River. Later in the late 1800s, Finnish and Swedish settlers who came to build logging camps used the river's name for the town. Next one is Nimrod, Minnesota.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

This town covers only I haven't heard Nimrod in a long time.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

Yeah. It covers only one square mile. It's best known as the hometown of pro baseball player Dick Stigma. Never heard of him?

SPEAKER_03 25:46

Me either.

SPEAKER_00 25:47

Who pitched for several major league teams in the 1960s. Probably why I never heard of him.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

The name comes from the Bible. In Genesis, Nimrod is called a mighty hunter before the Lord and is linked to the Tower of Babel.

SPEAKER_03 26:01

Hmm. I did not know that.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

Yeah. Next one, Hot Coffee, Mississippi. This town sits halfway between Natchez, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama. It got its name from a smart store owner who opened a shop and claimed to serve the best hot coffee around. The name caught on, and so did the story. Next, Butts, Missouri. The community this community found in the Mark Twain National Forest is named after a well-known local family, the Butts.

SPEAKER_03 26:35

In California, in Butte County, and then there's like a college there. And their mascot is the pirate.

SPEAKER_00 26:46

Pirate butts?

SPEAKER_03 26:48

They're the Butte Pirates.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Butt pirates. I can't say that. Alright. Got three more.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Pray, Montana.

SPEAKER_03 26:58

What is it called?

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Pray.

SPEAKER_03 26:59

Pray.

SPEAKER_00 27:00

With fewer than 800 residents since the early 1900s. Pray wasn't named for religious reasons. Instead, it honors Charles Nelson Prey, who was the state's congressman back then. Last two, Magnet Nebraska.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

Mag magnet. Magnet?

SPEAKER_00 27:16

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

When settler B. E. Smith had to name a new town, he wanted to attract as many people as he could. So he picked the name Magnet. And last, Jigs, Nevada.

SPEAKER_03 27:29

Jigs? How you spelled Jigs?

SPEAKER_00 27:31

Julian Jigs. Remember that whoop book? Julian Jigs. Looks like your room has been lived in by pigs. Yeah, yeah. I should get that book. Right then on my lip. Alright.

SPEAKER_03 27:41

Before how you spell Jigs?

SPEAKER_00 27:42

J-I-G-G-S. Before 1918, the town didn't have an official name. Albert Hankins, who owned the hotel, general store, and dance hall, was asked to name it. His kids suggested Jiggs after the main character in a popular comic strip of the time.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

But so not Jughead, but Jiggs.

SPEAKER_00 28:02

Every unusual town name has its own story. So next time you see a place called Why or Gas, remember there's always a reason for the name. Alright, Kevin, would you rather would you rather give up cursing forever or give up ice cream for a few years? 100% cursing.

SPEAKER_03 28:21

Well, what happens when you try and curse? Is this like what was that show that we watched, The Good Place? Like when she would try and curse, it would be she'd be like, oh, butterfingers or stuff like that. Because then yeah, I'd probably give that up. Yeah. Because that's funny.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

That is funny. Alright, do you have anything else?

SPEAKER_03 28:38

Nope.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

Okay. Remember, even a small act of kindness can be someone's beacon in their darkest moment. Choose kindness every day. Reach out to someone today. You have the power to change a life. Be the signal of hope this world needs to be a little bit more than a little bit.