Driskill Mountain
Louisiana
June 2012
Kill. Probably not what you think.
The suffix kill, as in Driskill, is a Native American word with a less gruesome translation than the English meaning. Kill means “creek.” It is a name popular in eastern Pennsylvania and New York state, with names such as Schuylkill, Bushkill, Cobleskill, Peekskill, Wallkill and many others including Fish Kill and Basher Kill. Heck, much of the northeastern U S of A vacations in an area known as the Catskill Mountains. No cats were harmed in the making of this resort area.
And yet, the Driskills of Driskill Mountain, the highest point in Louisiana, have nothing to do with the Natives of Louisiana and particularly the native language. No, more likely these Driskills are of Irish descent where Driskill translates from the Gaelic. For whatever it’s worth, it translates as “intermediary.”
Here in most of America, kill means “kill,” and some folks consider that to be gruesome, especially PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In 1996, PETA took issue with all this kill business and urged the town of Fishkill, New York, to change its name. They proposed Fishsave. Really. They wanted the village to change its name to Fishsave.
Generally I like PETA and what they stand for. I have a great affection for animals and I want them to be given a fair shake. Don’t you?
George Carter, who served as Mayor of Fishkill for eight years, laughed and said, “I think their proposal is idiotic.” A local bar owner added, “Go save the whales or something.”
The name remains Fishkill.