I'm a bit of a history buff. It's an interest of mine. I often use Wikipedia as a first source, then go into more reputable sources if I want to learn more.
About five minutes ago, I looked up Portland, Oregon. I've heard it's a great city to live in, but not necessarily to visit. My aunt and uncle are thinking of moving there in a few years. But the funniest bit of history about Portland (from a New Englander's standpoint) is that it was founded by two New England natives: Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove. Pettygrove had actually bought his share from a man named William Overton, who is believed to have been from Tennessee. Loveyjoy was from Boston, Massachusetts , and Pettygrove was from Portland, Maine. Two cities that I have been to many times.
In 1851, Lovejoy and Pettygrove got together to decide on the name of their new city in the northwest frontier. Both wanted to name it after their respective home town. So, what did they do? A simple coin toss. Pettygrove won the best of three tosses, and Portland, Oregon got its name. It's considerably larger than Portland, Maine, which begs the question: would it have been as big had it been named Boston? And... would Boston, MA have grown differently? Who knows. But the neat thing is that the coin they used to determine the city's name, the Portland Penny, is on display for people to see. You don't see that too often.
In case you were wondering, Boston, Massachusetts got its name from a town in England, which got its name (allegedly) from its founder St. Botolph ("St. Botolph's Stone" -> "Botolphs stone" -> "Boston"). Portland, Maine (which was the arrival port of my great grandfather who immigrated from Ireland) was called Falmouth before it was renamed by residents.
Are you impressed yet?
About five minutes ago, I looked up Portland, Oregon. I've heard it's a great city to live in, but not necessarily to visit. My aunt and uncle are thinking of moving there in a few years. But the funniest bit of history about Portland (from a New Englander's standpoint) is that it was founded by two New England natives: Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove. Pettygrove had actually bought his share from a man named William Overton, who is believed to have been from Tennessee. Loveyjoy was from Boston, Massachusetts , and Pettygrove was from Portland, Maine. Two cities that I have been to many times.
In 1851, Lovejoy and Pettygrove got together to decide on the name of their new city in the northwest frontier. Both wanted to name it after their respective home town. So, what did they do? A simple coin toss. Pettygrove won the best of three tosses, and Portland, Oregon got its name. It's considerably larger than Portland, Maine, which begs the question: would it have been as big had it been named Boston? And... would Boston, MA have grown differently? Who knows. But the neat thing is that the coin they used to determine the city's name, the Portland Penny, is on display for people to see. You don't see that too often.
In case you were wondering, Boston, Massachusetts got its name from a town in England, which got its name (allegedly) from its founder St. Botolph ("St. Botolph's Stone" -> "Botolphs stone" -> "Boston"). Portland, Maine (which was the arrival port of my great grandfather who immigrated from Ireland) was called Falmouth before it was renamed by residents.
Are you impressed yet?
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