Saugatuck
- the MEANING ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... |
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The City of
Saugatuck is situated on and near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River
in
Allegan County Michigan.
The 1st postmaster, R.R.Crosby, was familiar with the Native
American name "Saugatuck", meaning mouth of the river. He suggested the
name for the proximity to the Kalamazoo waters and it was accepted.
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The term
"Saugatuck" (or "river that pours out") was first used
to designate one of several Paugusset Indian settlements along a 30
mile stretch of the Connecticut
coastline. "They were
one of
several dominant tribes along the Long Island Sound in the area west of
the Connecticut River - the Menunketucks, the Quinnipiacs, the
Siwanogs, and the Pequots, the largest and most powerful". The city of
, WESTPORT, Connecticut was previously named
Saugatuck. Connecticut
Rivers
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| "The root So' hk or Sauk that denotes 'pouring out' is the basis of many local names for the 'outlet' or 'discharge' of a river or lake. In composition with tuk 'river' or 'tidal stream,' sauki (adjectival) gave name to Soukatuck, now Saugatuck. One legend says that the word meant 'River of little fishes.' Westport smelt later became a trade name for them. . . " From The Connecticut Historical Society, 1976. | |