1934-09-16-sr-p31-how-to-pronounce-chamokane

September 16, 1934 Spokesman-Review Page 31:

Carl T, Shuff writes as follows:

“Perhaps 25 years ago, on a trip with Allan Scott northwesterly to a point somewhere beyond La Pray bridge—the bridge that later you obtained from the two counties as a gift to the park board and, with the assistance of the United States army, removed as an entity—my attention first was drawn to the name 'Chamokane.' It appeared on a road sign, and, nuchacolike, I pronounced it 'Shamokane.' Old-timer Scott had a good laugh and gave me the correct pronunciation. The date may be identified by the fact that during our return, late at night by team and buggy, Halley's comet was on gorgeous display.

"In any event, the pronunciation of that word always has been a mystery to me. Recently I had used the name 'Chamokane Lumber company,' in court and in the transcript the word ‘Chamokane’ appeared with the spelling precisely idem sonana, 'Shimikin.' That revived my interest, but without results until I chanced to observe on a Standard Oil road map the words "Tshimakain mission, established 1838."

"After investigation I am compelled to confess my inexcusable ignorance that this was, and is, the site of the Spokane Indian mission of Cushing Eells and Elkanah Walker. That Tshimakain mission was the birthplace of the first white male child born in the Inland Empire.

"Professor A. M. Ostness, philologist, tells me that the words Tshim-a-kain (Walker ch. vi.) unqestionably are purely Indian. They mean 'the place of springs.' (Snowden, II., 126). The Spokane language was "harsh and gutteral." (Father Eells, ch. vii). Professor Ostness further said that ‘whoever first reduced those words to writing was a man of linguistic erudition.