Q and A column

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 20, 2005 by DICK KING Capital-Journal

'Topeka' rooted in spuds

Question: What does the name Topeka stand for? --- J.B., Topeka

Answer: "There has been considerable controversy about the origin and meaning of Topeka," wrote John Rydjord in his book "Kansas Place- Names" (University of Oklahoma Press, 1972).

It may have been the name of a Pawnee Indian band, he wrote, but the most common interpretation associates the name with "pomme de terre," French for "potato."

Explorers in eastern Kansas in the mid-1800s said Indians living in the area variously pronounced and spelled the name as "To-poo- ka," which meant "a good place to dig potatoes," and "To-pe-ka," meaning "a place to find small wild potatoes."

"This interpretation was accepted by many," wrote Rydjord, a history professor and faculty member at Wichita State University, "but there was disagreement about what kind of potatoes there might be in an area devoid of potatoes."

They were described as being "prairie," "little," "wild" or "mountain" potatoes.

Folklore presents other origins of the name.

One source tells the story of an Indian ferryman who refused to cross the Kaw River for passengers during a flood because the river was "too beega," and another story tells of a tribe of Otoes who called another nearby tribe To-pi-u-ke.

Most historians and authors apparently agree with sources that associate the name with "potatoes."

Frye W. Giles, active in Topeka politics during the period of the town's birth, is generally given credit for presenting the merits of the Topeka name.

He told other founding fathers, according to his biographies, that he wanted a name that was easy to pronounce and easy to spell, and also "novel," "euphonious" and "simple," with an "Indian flavor."

"Topeka apparently satisfied all those requirements," Rydjord wrote, "and seldom has a Kansas town been named with greater care and discrimination."

Question: I saw a sign at the southwest corner of S.W. 12th and Lane that identifies a small park as the Aaron Douglas Art Park. Who was this man? --- S.M., Topeka

Answer: He has been described "as a man with vision of what African-American art should be," and the celebration mural in that half-block park is dedicated to him, according to archives at The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Douglas was born in Topeka in 1899 and graduated from Topeka High School in 1917, according to biographical information.

He was active in the New York art world, where he was a teacher and artist and was considered the most prominent artist-illustrator of the Harlem Renaissance painters in the 1920s and 1930s. He was first president of the Harlem Art Guild.

If you have a question for retired Capital-Journal newsman Dick King, call 295-5610 and leave a message, or write to Dick King, The Topeka Capital-Journal, 616 S.E. Jefferson, Topeka 66607.