Auburn
After a great deal of inquiry, the only bit of information
that could be obtained about the naming of Auburn, or the
Old English Mill, as it is sometimes known, was that an
English company erected a twenty-stamp mill, and it was
called the Old English Mill after this company. An old-
timer, Mr. John Boynton, of Reno says that Auburn was named
by a Colonel O'Connor, who was a very close friend of his,
and who was working in the interests of the English Company.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn was a small place located on the south side of
Peaving Mountain, midway between Reno and Verdi. A New York
company expected to spend half a million dollars in devel-
oping some claims they had, and they laid out and named the
new town Brooklyn. Considerable money was spent on the mine
by the United Brooklyn Mining Company, but little however,
was accomplished.
Little Bangor
Little Bangor was a little lumbering camp owned by Bragg
and Folsom, and was established in 1863. The reason for
callilng the place Little Bangor was that there were so
many people there from Bangor, Maine. It never had a
postoffice, although it was a busy little camp.
Glendale
The place was first known as Stone and Gates' Crossing.
Mr. John Larcombe had the first store there, and when a
postoffice was instituted it was put into his store, and
he was asked to give the postoffice a name other than
Stone and Gates' Crossing. He called the place Glendale
as he was English and Glendale was an English name which
he thought pretty for the place.
Ophir
It is said that a man by the name of Dixon, who, with
quite a large party came from Virginia City, California,
a few miles below Auburn. The names of the two other places
near Auburn, California, are Gold Hill and Ophir, and it
is thought that those names were brought here by Dixon and
his party and given to the towns of those names in Nevada
around Virginia City. Although it may seem strange, there
are only three Indian names in Washoe County, and they are
Truckee, Tahoe, and Washoe.
Lake Tahoe
The naming of Lake Tahoe have first and last caused no
little discussion. In his report of 1845-6, Fremont calls
this sheet Mountain Lake, but on his may of 1848, he lays
it down as Lake Bonpland. There are those who thought to do
John Bigler further honor than making him Governor of Cali-
fornia, by setting on foot the name Lake Bigler. Nothing
could have been in worse taste--particularly when we con-
sider that only a portion of the lake belongs to California,
than applying to a liquid so beautifully clear and cool, the
name of one who so detested water. The Indian name, always
the most appropriate, in this instance the most beautiful
and most applicable that could be derived--Tahoe, 'big water'
the lake has been fortunate enough finally to secure.
Washoe
The meaning or origin of the name Washoe is not very clear.
The original spelling of the name was apparently Wassau, and
in one place the statement is made that with the great influx
of strangers the name was anglicized into Washoe. There are
several theories as to the origin of the word but the one
which seems to be the most natural is the Indian word, Wassou,
which means a tall bunch grass, probably the native rye
grass.
(footote: Supt. C. H. Asbury, Stewart, Nevada, says further,
"There is also another word -Yassou-which means a small field
mouse. These Indians, speaking of the Washoes at Stewart,
seem to think that the word "Washoe" was applied to their
tribe before the white people came to this country, and they
know no special meaning of the word, except that a 'long time
ago', it had been decided to call their people "Washoes."
This information was received from three Indians through a
very good interpreter by Mr. Asbury.)