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Milwaukee's name
The name "Milwaukee" comes from an Algonquian word Millioke, meaning either
"Good/Beautiful/Pleasant Land" (c.f. Potawatomi language minwaking, Ojibwe
language ominowakiing) or "Gathering place [by the water]" (c.f. Potawatomi
language manwaking, Ojibwe language omaniwakiing). Early explorers called the
Milwaukee River and surrounding lands various names: Melleorki, Milwacky,
Mahn-a-waukie, Milwarck, and Milwaucki. For many years, printed records gave the
name as "Milwaukie". A Short History of Milwaukee, by William George Bruce,
gives the story of Milwaukee's final name:
"One day during the thirties of the last century [1800s] a newspaper calmly
changed the name to Milwaukee, and Milwaukee it has remained until this day."
Milwaukeeans, in common with most Wisconsinites, sometimes confuse outsiders in
their pronunciation of the name. It is often pronounced as [mʊˈwaːki], which is
humorously observed on some T-Shirts sold as "M'waukee".
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