Half the US named after Indians

A Lasting Place in History

Indian Terms Used in 25 State Names[A]t least 25 of the 50 states trace their names to Native American words, ideas or places.

That's something to think about this Thanksgiving weekend while we, as a nation, commemorate the Pilgrims' settlement of New England.

It's important to remember that European settlers displaced native peoples in the 1700s and 1800s, and that Indians, whose ancestors had lived on the North American continent for centuries, were stripped of their land and largely confined to reservations from coast to coast.

Yet, Native American heritage lives on.