Talk:Merrimack River
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Confusingly, the Thoreau article mentions "A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers" (not Merrimack).
What is correct?
S.
The spelling has changed over time, as spelling tends to do. Merrimack is modern, Merrimac was more common in Thoreau's day.
The questions is whether to update the spelling in the title of the book, so as not to confuse readers with a peripheral issue, or to explain the difference. I guess the latter.
David
People are already confused -there are thousands of sites listed on Google with each spelling. It appears that the correct spelling for this river is Merrimack while the one in Missouri is Meramec but the USGS name server is down at the moment. --rmhermen
What does "old Celtic language" mean? Is this some sort of proto-Celtic language that has only been posited, or does it mean old Welsh, old Scots, old Gaelic, what? 172.175.127.8 06:05, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC) --- "Old Celtic language" refers to old Scots, I believe. As for the spelling of the Merrimack River, the difference should be explained better. There is no difference between the Merrimac and Merrimack Rivers; they are one and the same. The town of Merrimac, Massachusetts is named after the river, as is the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire, near to where its source is located. Much of the confusion probably arises from the fact that Merrimack, New Hampshire is much larger and more industrial, and is also closer to the river's source. Thus, people began to adopt the name "Merrimack," even if the original spelling was "Merrimac."
Old maps and literature list the river as the "Merrimac River." Currently, highway signs and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts refer to it as the "Merrimack River." Both spellings are accepted and appropriate. I would tend to lean towards the original spelling, however.
-AaronS
I've tweaked the different-spelling explanation yet again, hopefully to remove confusion (note that I returned Thoreau's book title to its original spelling; hopefully the note near the beginning will remove confusion). I also put in the Indian naming etymology, as referenced by the Merrimack River Watershed Authority, and removed that Celtic reference, since I know of no historical connection between old Celtic terminology and New English river naming (unless you're one of those America's Stonehenge true believers!) - DavidWBrooks 13:39, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)
I fixed the wording of the explanation of the alternate spelling. It should be noted that "Merrimac River" or "Merrimac Valley" are still used today by some people and businesses, so it is not something that is only reserved to centuries ago.
As for the Celtic reference, it comes from a Graham Maasterton novel, where the author refers to an abyss as a "merrimack." Interestingly enough, there is a Parisian black metal band named Merrimack, which took the name for this reason.
-AaronS (Dec 23 @ 9:03 PM EST)
- Does he connect the word to the river? It may just be a coincidence. - 01:03, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)
[edit] GA Passed
Congratulations! Your article is a great start on this waterway. As you think about improving it, please add a few more inline references to support the facts. Also, check out Ohio River, Mississippi River and others for ideas on expanding the article. --CTSWyneken(talk) 21:08, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
