Guest Author - Beth Green

Every state has cities and towns with somewhat odd or weird names. Have you ever wondered where some of these names came from? I started looking at maps of different states and started making lists of some of the more unusual place names that I saw.

Unusual place names are not unusual in Missouri. One, however, is Peculiar. Yes, Peculiar is a town in Cass County, southeast of Kansas City. Peculiar received its name in 1868 from the Postmaster General of the United States because the postmaster in the town was annoyed because his choice of name for the city (Excelsior) had already been given to another Missouri town, and several other choices were also rejected. The postmaster wrote a letter to Washington to complain, saying that he didn’t care what name the town was given as long as it was peculiar.

Competition is located near Lebanon in LaClede County. The town was founded in 1867. The town no longer has a post office; mail has to be sent to Falcon.

In Henry County is the town of Tightwad, population around 60. There used to be a bank in the town, as residents from larger towns nearby enjoyed writing checks from the Bank of Tightwad.

When I was going to school at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, I drove through highway connecting St. Joseph to Maryville, and 2 of Pumpkin Center’s buildings were relocated while the third, the town gas station/convenience store, was torn down.

Frankenstein is a small town near Jefferson City, named for a man named Franken who donated land for a church in 1890.

Located along historic Route 66 in Pulaski County is the Ozark town of Devil’s Elbow.

Blue Eye Missouri and Blue Eye Arkansas is one big (small) happy town, with the Missouri/Arkansas state line running through the middle of town. Legend has it that the first postmaster had magnificent blue eyes, giving the town its name.

Town names with Native American origins are abundant in the Midwest. In Missouri, there’s Ha Ha Tonka in the Ozark region, named for a game played by area Osage Indian youth. Deepwater is translated from an Indian word for the deepwater creek that runs near the town.

Davisville in Crawford County used to be known as Pucky Huddle.

Conception in Northwest Missouri, is home to Conception Abbey monastery of Benedictine monks, while nearby Conception Junction was where the rail depot was located. A few miles to the east, the Benedictine Sisters reside in Clyde.

Other unusual town names in Missouri include Useful, Enough, Novelty, and Romance.