Somebodyisfromhere.com is not above pandering. At one point the state with the most site views on Somebodyisfromhere.com was Washington. So hello, Washintonians, do you know where the town Puyallup got its name?
Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means “the generous people”.
The Puyallup Indian Wiki page keeps going.
“Generous and welcoming behavior to all people (friends and strangers) who enter our lands.”
Puyallup is in Pierce County, Washington and was founded by “Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker and his wife Eliza Jane Meeker…known as the Hop King.”
As a 30+ year old, Somebodyisfromhere.com is in the minority of Americans who have mostly played Oregon Trail as a learning exercise. He does not get any of your jokes.
A reminder:
Meeker was the first mayor or Puyallup. Wiki has an absolutely amazing photo of him from 1921. He died in 1928 at 98 years old. In the years before his death he was known to travel the Oregon Trail repeatedly and leave monuments so that people would not forget about its influence.
A reminder that those looking for the meanings behind Native American town names should always start with the haunting Oskaloosa.