My recent story on the Adirondack pearl fishery in the Russell area of St. Lawrence County elicited a comment stating that two names, Plumb Brook and Grass River, had been misspelled, and that the correct terms were Plum Brook and Grasse River.
Local names for topographical features often become distorted over time, especially when usage is passed on by word of mouth, but it’s important to know place-name origins. In many cases, there are records giving the officially recognized names of streams, populated places, mountains, and the like.
While writing the piece on pearl fishing, due diligence led me to the United States Board on Geographic Names. There you can opt for state specificity when searching features by name. It revealed that New York State’s official names for those two bodies of water are Plumb Brook and Grass River. Source information for USBGN entries is often provided, tracking the efforts of researchers who, sometimes a century or more ago, sought input from local residents, written sources, and old maps.
While the official-names list was a start, there were other sources to utilize for a rounded view: Google Maps, current and past topographical maps, and old regional maps that include the names of residents near each marked structure. People who made maps long ago took their work seriously; they were inquisitive and meticulous in probing for details. (But it’s important to remember that any mistakes made early on could sometimes be carried forward in future documentation.)
Even on 100-year-old maps, the spellings were Plumb Brook and Grass River. For locals in the vicinity of Russell, it’s easy to imagine how folks perhaps heard the name Plumb Brook and assumed it was spelled exactly how it sounded … Plum Brook.
But for the Grass River, there’s additional information provided by the USBGN’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which includes a Decision Card that was approved in 1905 (click on the image above for a larger version). It lists the sources used back then, including input from the town clerks of Louisville and Madrid more than a century ago, and the county clerk as well. They were among several sources cited by investigators who came to the conclusion that Grass River should be the official spelling. To further support their decision, they cited the Mohawk term for the river, “Tsi iohontakwáhtha Stream,” along with its translation: “Where the grass is picked.”
As their website says, “The US Geological Survey developed the GNIS in support of the US Board on Geographic Names…. GNIS is the federal and national standard for geographic nomenclature.” And, by the way, name decisions they have made can be (and have been) revisited whenever research provides further clarification or options.
While the debate might continue as to whether it’s truly Grass or Grasse River, it’s important to know that others who came before us had the same curiosity, and at least for the purposes of writers and researchers, there are official place names for just about everything around us.
But for those who love to argue such things, the Grass/Grasse River is a great choice, with solid support and multiple sources for both sides of the debate. Even a pair of pre-1850 gazetteers disagree on the spelling. And while New York State settled on Grass, signs in St. Lawrence County say Grasse. At Canton, a sign near a bridge says Grasse River — and just three miles down the road is a state boat launch marked Grass River. And we wonder how Congress could be so divided!
Photos: The USBGN Decision Card addressing the Grass River (1905); two signs just three miles apart near Canton (Google Maps images)