Algoma (placename) facts for kids

Algoma is a name given to many different places in the United States and Canada. For example, you can find Algoma District, Ontario in Canada, and places like Algoma, Oregon, Algoma, Wisconsin, and Algoma Township, Michigan in the U.S. The name Algoma is also used by companies, such as Algoma Steel and Algoma Central Railway.

What Does "Algoma" Mean?

The exact meaning of the word Algoma isn't completely clear, but there are a few ideas about where it came from:

• Invented by Henry Schoolcraft: One idea is that Henry Schoolcraft, a geographer and explorer, created the word. He combined "al" from the word Algonquian (a group of Native American languages) with "goma." The word "goma" comes from "-gamaa," which means "lake" or "large body of water" in some Algonquian languages. So, Schoolcraft thought Algoma could mean "Sea of the Algonquins." He even suggested it could be a poetic name for Lake Superior.

• Meaning "Snowshoe": Another idea is that Algoma comes from words like Egema in the Potawatomi language or Agimaa in the Ojibwe language. Both of these words mean "snow shoe."

• Meaning "Park of Flowers": The Chamber of Commerce in Algoma, Wisconsin says that Algoma is an Indian word meaning "park of flowers." Some websites that suggest names for children or pets also say it means "valley of flowers."

• Meaning "God Abides": In the town of Algoma, Mississippi, local history suggests that Algoma is a Chickasaw word meaning "God abides." A Presbyterian preacher named Savage supposedly gave this name to the community.

Similar Names

You might sometimes see the word Algona instead of Algoma. This word uses an n instead of an m. Many people think Algona is a changed version of Henry Schoolcraft's original word Algoma. Alcona is another similar name that is also used for places in the United States and Canada.