Plan to change name of Soap Lake is rejected

November 17, 2012 @ 9:14 am

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A state panel has rejected a plan to change the name of Soap Lake to the Salish word for healing waters, Smokiam (smoke-EYE'-um).

The Spokesman-Review ( http://is.gd/dwsLm2) reports the state Committee on Geographic Names denied the proposal on Friday.

A proponent of the name change says the ancestors of the Colville Confederated Tribes called the 900-acre body of water Smokiam for 11,000 years.

When white settlers came to the area, they used several different names for the lake. After the town of Soap Lake was incorporated nearby, the lake gradually took on the same name but was never officially changed.

The Colville tribes, who spoke Salish, supported the name change, along with some residents interested in preserving the region's history.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com


(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (3)


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  • Saltchucker wrote...
    Stop changing names.
    November 17, 2012 8:36 am
    It's Puget Sound not some part of the "salish sea". Coupville you listening? It will ALWAYS be the Keystone ferry! Sick of the garbage.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Snout wrote...
    Agreed.
    November 17, 2012 9:21 am
    Sock-it-to'em has enough unpronounceable primitive names on stuff as it is. If you feel guilty for some reason, go and help out the tribes that are in need instead of putting a weird name on a ferry and congratulating yourself.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    Huh?!...............
    November 17, 2012 9:33 am
    Quote: "A proponent of the name change says the ancestors of the Colville Confederated Tribes called the 900-acre body of water Smokiam for 11,000 years."

    Wha the?!?! Eleven thousand years?! How would anyone have access to this kind of information?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }