Unusual town and city names, and how they came to be, greatly interest me. I’ve researched hundreds, and I’m still enlightened each time I come across a new one.
Reform, Alabama, was mentioned on a video that I watched today. I was familiar with the place, having lived in Alabama for several years. Mom often told me that if I didn’t straighten up, she’d send me to reform school. I assumed it was there.
One of the most unusual town names in the United States, Reform, has sparked many people’s curiosity about its origin. Between 1803 and 1812, the area where it’s now located was only a smattering of a few shanties and a saloon, consisting of a rowdy, mostly male population. These men emigrated from South Carolina in search of a place to sow their wild oats.
A Methodist missionary, full of fire and brimstone, named Lorenzo “Crazy” Dow, attempted to hold a revival there. He found little encouragement from those early settlers, as they were rebellious and full of scorn towards men of the cloth.
Lorenzo Dow saddled his horse, mounted it, and was silently riding away when one of the men jokingly shouted to him, “Parson, we haven’t a name for our town. What would you suggest?”
Showing disgust for the bunch of them, Dow replied, “Call it Reform!” The name stuck, but was not officially used until much later.
Ajo, Arizona, is another unusual town name. A Spanish word, the correct pronunciation for Ajo is actually “ah-ho.” It wasn’t named that because the people living there are disgusting jerks. Ajo is merely a Spanish word for garlic.
Songs have made many town names popular. The Eagles’ classic hit, “Take It Easy,” put Winslow, Arizona, on the map more than before this tune came out. Related to the lyrics, a statue of a young man standing while holding a guitar sits near the center of town. The fellow’s waiting for a girl in a flatbed Ford to pick him up.
“Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell made Wichita, Kansas, a household name in the late 1960s. The meaning of Wichita is “raccoon eyes,” according to ancestors of the Wichita Tribe. Wichita, Kansas, is named after that group of Indians.
“Back to the Basics of Love,” sung by Waylon Jennings, put Luckenbach, Texas, at the forefront. This small town was named by Minna Engel after she used her fiancé’s name, Albert Luckenbach, on an application for a new post office. The place was nameless at that point.
A song title by the band Lynard Skynyrd that could be turned into a town name also comes from a movie starring Reese Witherspoon, “Sweet Home, Alabama.” Why there’s no town or city in Alabama named that is a mystery to me.
A struggling rural Alabama town should consider changing its name and capitalizing on the newfound notoriety. It’d soon become a destination point like Winslow, Arizona, with people driving from miles wanting to see what Sweethome, Alabama, had to offer. Of course, a unique statue would have to be created for them to pose in front of.
Should no towns in Alabama decide to take that plunge, Sweethome, Arizona, has a good ring to it. There are plenty of struggling places in this state that could use an infusion of newfound fame.
Several names come to mind, such as Winkleman, Tolleson, Coolidge, and Nogales, yet I believe Bullhead City needs a new, improved namesake more than any to help it through the coming century. When my friends say they’re going to Bullhead, they don’t use the city name, but Sam’s Club or Laughlin instead.
Bullhead City, Arizona, got its name from a large rock formation on the Colorado River that resembled the head of a bull. Early river travelers and settlers used this distinctive landmark as a navigation point, and the area eventually adopted the descriptive name “Bullhead.” After the completion of Davis Dam in the 1950s, this rock was submerged and can no longer be seen.
I’m sorry, but the Bullhead City name needs to go. It’s lackluster, and not one to make new travelers from out of state come to visit. I love the community and people, but city leaders need to swap the name to something more attractive and appealing.
Sweethome, Arizona, did I mention that has a nice ring to it?
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