List Of Colorado Placenames Of Native American Origin
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The following list includes settlements, geographic features, and political subdivisions of
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
whose names are derived from Native American languages.


Listings


Counties

* Arapahoe County – named for the Arapahoe people. ** Village of
Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...
** Arapahoe City * Cheyenne County – named for the
Cheyenne people The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian languages, Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized tribe, federally recognize ...
. ** Village of Cheyenne Wells **
Cheyenne Mountain State Park Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a Colorado state park that was acquired in June 2000 through a partnership between the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado State Parks, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), Colorado Lottery, El Paso County, and other ...
* Kiowa County – named for the
Kiowa people Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...
. *
Montezuma County Montezuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,849. The county seat is Cortez. Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Yucca House National Monu ...
– named for the
Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
emperor
Moctezuma II Moctezuma Xocoyotzin ( – 29 June 1520; oteːkˈsoːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sĩn̥), nci-IPA, Motēuczōmah Xōcoyōtzin, moteːkʷˈsoːma ʃoːkoˈjoːtsin variant spellings include Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecu ...
of
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. ** Montezuma ** Montezuma Creek *
Ouray County Ouray County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,874. The county seat is Ouray. Because of its rugged mountain topography, Ouray County is also known as the Switzerland of America. H ...
- named
Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute (band), an Australian jazz group * Ute (given name) * ''Ute'' (sponge), a sponge genus * Ute (vehicle), an Australian and New Zealand term for certain utility vehicles * Ute, Iowa, a city in Monona County along ...
chief Ouray ** City of Ouray **
Mount Ouray Mount Ouray is a high and prominent mountain summit in the far southern Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The thirteener is located in San Isabel National Forest, west ( bearing 270°) of Poncha Pass, Colorado, United ...
*
Saguache County Saguache County (suh-WATCH ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,368. The county seat is Saguache. History Saguache County was formed December 29, 1866 in the Territory of Colorado wh ...
– name comes from the
Ute language Ute Givón, T. ''Ute Reference Grammar''. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2011 is a dialect of the Colorado River Numic language, spoken by the Ute people. Speakers primarily live on three reservations: Uintah-Ouray (or Northern Ute) in nort ...
noun "''sawup''" meaning "sand dunes". ** City of Saguache **
Saguache Creek Saguache Creek The place name "Saguache" is pronounced . This name derives from the Ute language noun "''sawup''" meaning "sand dunes". The Spanish language version of this name is usually spelled "Saguache", while the English language version ...
* Yuma County – named for the
Quechan people The Quechan (or Yuma) (Quechan: ''Kwatsáan'' 'those who descended') are a Native American tribe who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California just north of the Mexican border. Despite the ...
of
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. ** City of Yuma


Settlements

*
Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura, were a Siouan-speaking tribe of indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, in the Piedmont area of North Carolina near the Sauratown Mountains, east of Pilot Mountain and north of the Yad ...
* Chipita Park ** Cascade-Chipita Park * Comanche Creek – named after the Comanche people. *
Cotopaxi Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a ...
– named after the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador. * Dakota Ridge – named after the Dakota people. *
Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
– named after Erie, Pennsylvania * Fort Massachusetts named after the state of Massachusetts. *
Fort Namaqua Fort Namaqua, some of its other names are Mariano's Crossing and Namaqua Station, was a trading post from 1858 or 1859. It was located in the present-day city of Loveland, Colorado in Larimer County, Colorado. In 1862, it became a stage station for ...
*
Fort Uncompahgre Fort Uncompahgre was a fur trading post constructed in 1828 by Antoine Robidoux, a trader based out of Mexican Santa Fe. The post was situated about two miles down from the confluence of the Gunnison River and the Uncompahgre River, near the pres ...
– from the Ute word for "red lake" **
Uncompahgre River The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi (121 km) long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft (3723m) in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National ...
**
Uncompahgre Wilderness The Uncompahgre Wilderness (formerly called the Big Blue Wilderness) is a U.S. Wilderness Area in southwest Colorado comprising . Elevation in the Wilderness ranges from to , at the summit of Uncompahgre Peak. Managed by the Uncompahgre Natio ...
**
Uncompahgre Peak Uncompahgre Peak () is the List of mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains#Highest prominent summits, sixth highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The Topographic prominence, prominent fourteener i ...
**
Uncompahgre Plateau The Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado is a distinctive large uplift part of the Colorado Plateau. is a Ute word that describes the water: "Dirty Water" or "Rocks that make Water Red". The plateau, with an average elevation of , rises from ...
**
Uncompahgre National Forest Uncompahgre National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 955,229 acres (1,492.55 sq mi, or 3,865.68 km2) in (in descending order of land area) parts of Montrose, Mesa, San Miguel, Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale, San Juan, and Delta ...
**
Uncompahgre Gorge The Uncompahgre Gorge is a deep mountain canyon formed by the Uncompahgre River and Red Mountain Creek in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is located just south of Ouray, in Ouray County, Colorado. At the north end of the Gorge the Uncompah ...
*
Genesee Genesee, derived from the Seneca word for "pleasant valley", may refer to: Geographic features Canada *Genesee, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States *Genesee, California *Genesee, Colorado *Genesee County, Michigan *Genesee Co ...
* Kinikinik – named for the '' kinnickinnick'' plant. *
Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...
– named after the Kiowa people. ** Kiowa Creek * Kokomo – named after Kokomo, Indiana. *
Manitou Springs Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, ...
* Niwot – named after Chief Niwot. * Olathe – named after Olathe, Kansas. *
Pagosa Springs The Town of Pagosa Springs (Ute language: Pagwöösa, Navajo language: Tó Sido Háálį́) is a home rule municipality that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Archuleta County, Colorado, ...
* Peoria – named after the Peoria people. *
Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
– named after the Shawnee people. *
Southern Ute The Southern Ute Indian Reservation (Ute dialect: Kapuuta-wa Moghwachi Núuchi-u) is a Native American reservation in southwestern Colorado near the northern New Mexico state line. Its territory consists of land from three counties; in descendin ...
– named after the Southern Ute people. * Towaoc *
Yampa Yampa is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory town, statutory town in Routt County, Colorado, Routt County, Colorado, United States. The population was 429 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. City name is the Ute dialect, Northern U ...
– named after the Snake Indian word for ''
perideridia ''Perideridia'' is a genus of plants in the family Apiaceae. Plants in this genus are known generally as yampah or yampa. They are native to western North America. Similar in appearance to other plants of the family Apiaceae, they have umbels of ...
''. **
Yampa River The Yampa River flows through northwestern Colorado in the United States. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, it is a tributary of the Green River (Colorado River), Green River and a major part of the Colorado River system. The Yampa is one of the f ...
**
Yampa River State Park Yampa River State Park is a Colorado state park located along the Yampa River in Routt and Moffat Counties in northwestern Colorado in the United States. Features Yampa River State Park provides 13 access points for boaters along of the Yampa ...


Bodies of water

* Apishapa River – Ute word for "smelly". **
North Fork Apishapa River North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
*
Arikaree River The Arikaree River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. It lies mostly in the American state of Colorado, draining land between the North and South Forks of the Republican River, and it flows into the North Fork in Nebraska ...
– named after the Arikara people. **
North Fork Arikaree River The North Fork Arikaree River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 29, 2011 tributary of the Arikaree River in eastern Colorado. It flows from a source in western ...
*
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
– named after the state of Arkansas. **
South Arkansas River South Arkansas River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 31, 2011 tributary of the Arkansas River that flows from a source near Monarch Pass in the Sawatch Range of ...
** East Fork Arkansas River ** North Fork South Arkansas River ** Middle Fork South Arkansas River **
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) is one of the United States' most popular locations for whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Arkansas River. There is a total of 150 miles of water that extends from Leadville, Colorado to Pueblo, C ...
*
Canadian River The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .North Fork Canadian River North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
** South Fork Canadian River ** Canadian River (North Platte River tributary) * Chamita River *
Cochetopa Creek Cochetopa Creek is a stream in Saguache and Gunnison counties in Colorado, United States. It rises on San Luis Peak in the La Garita Mountains. It merges with Tomichi Creek near the town of Parlin, Colorado, along Highway 50. The creek flows ...
*
Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...
named after the state of Illinois. *
Michigan River The Michigan River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 21, 2011 in north central Colorado in the United S ...
– named after the state of Michigan. **
North Fork Michigan River North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
** South Fork Michigan River **
Dry Fork Michigan River Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Rain#Deserts, Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Drynes ...
*
Navajo River Navajo River ( apj, Lóolahó) is a tributary of the San Juan River. It flows from a source in the South San Juan Wilderness of Conejos County, Colorado southwest past Chromo, Colorado. The river dips into New Mexico, passing just north of Dul ...
– named after the Navajo people. **
Little Navajo River The Little Navajo River is a tributary of the Navajo River in Archuleta County, Colorado. It joins the Navajo River at Chromo, Colorado. A large portion of its water is diverted, at the Little Oso Diversion Dam, across the Continental Divide ...
**
East Fork Navajo River East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
**
Navajo State Park Navajo State Park is a state park of Colorado, USA, on the north shore of Navajo Lake. Touted as Colorado's answer to Lake Powell, this reservoir on the San Juan River begins in Colorado's San Juan Mountains and extends into New Mexico. Its a ...
* Pawnee Creek – named after the Pawnee people. **
Pawnee National Grassland Pawnee National Grassland is a United States National Grassland located in northeastern Colorado on the Colorado Eastern Plains. The grassland is located in the South Platte River basin in remote northern and extreme northeastern Weld County be ...
*
Piceance Creek Piceance Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 18, 2011 tributary of the White River in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties in Colorado, United States. The nam ...
– from the Shoshone word ''piasonittsi'', meaning "tall grass". *
Rio Chama The Rio Chama, a major tributary river of the Rio Grande, is located in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico. The river is about long altogether. From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about , from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is about ...
**
West Fork Rio Chama West Fork Rio Chama is a tributary of the Rio Chama in southern Colorado. The stream flows southeast from a source near the continental divide to a confluence with the East Fork Rio Chama in Archuleta County that forms the Rio Chama. See also * ...
**
East Fork Rio Chama East Fork Rio Chama is a tributary of the Rio Chama in southern Colorado. The stream flows south from Dipping Lakes near the continental divide in Conejos County, Colorado to a confluence with the West Fork Rio Chama in Archuleta County, Colorado ...
* Tennessee Creek – named after the state of Tennessee. *
Tomichi Creek Tomichi Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 18, 2011 tributary of the Gunnison River in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Description Tomichi Cree ...


Other

*
Amache National Historic Site The Amache National Historic Site, formally the Granada War Relocation Center but known to the internees as Camp Amache, was a concentration camp for Japanese Americans in Prowers County, Colorado. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor o ...
– named after
Amache Prowers use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Cambridge, Massachusetts , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , rest ...
. *
Mount Antero Mount Antero is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The Topographic prominence, prominent fourteener is located in San Isabel National F ...
– named after Antero, a Ute chief. *
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in north-central Colorado. It is one of over 560 national wildlife refuges which manages and protects natural resources for future generations. The refuge is ...
*
Comanche National Grassland Comanche National Grassland is a National Grassland located in southeastern Colorado, United States. It is the sister grassland of Cimarron National Grassland and contains both prairie grasslands and canyons. It is separated into two sections ...
named after the Comanche people. ** Comanche Peak Wilderness * Neota Wilderness *
Rawah Wilderness The Rawah Wilderness is administered by the USDA Forest Service. It is located on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado, near the Wyoming border, and also in the Routt National Forest to its south. It enc ...
*
Weminuche Wilderness The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east sid ...
named after the Weminuche people.


See also

*
List of place names in the United States of Native American origin Many places throughout the United States of America take their names from the languages of the indigenous Native American/American Indian tribes. The following list includes settlements, geographic features, and political subdivisions whose names ...
*
Bibliography of Colorado The location of the State of Colorado in the United States of America This is a bibliography of the U.S. State of Colorado. __TOC__ General history * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Sibley, George. ''Water Wranglers - The 75-Ye ...
*
Geography of Colorado The geography of the United States, U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado is diverse, encompassing both rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, and mesas. Colorado is a landlocked U.S. state. In 1861, the Thirty-sixt ...
*
History of Colorado The region that is today the U.S. State of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major ...
*
Index of Colorado-related articles This is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. State of Colorado. 0–9 * .co.us – Internet second-level domain for the State of Colorado * 4 Corners ** 4 Corners Monument * 6th Principal Meridian * 10-mile Range * 10t ...
*
List of Colorado-related lists The following lists include links to lists related to the U.S. State of Colorado. # Colorado-related lists by topic # Alphabetical list of Colorado-related lists Colorado-related lists by topic General lists *Bibliography of Colorado *Index of Co ...
*
Outline of Colorado The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado: Colorado – 22nd most populous, the eighth most extensive, and the highest in average elevation of the 50 United States. Colorado ...


Notes


References


Sources

* *


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Native American origin, List of Colorado placenames of Colorado geography-related lists Colorado history-related lists History of Colorado Colorado placenames of Native American origin, List of Placenames of Native American origin, List of Colorado