The Origin of

The Origin of "Nampa".

By E.H.Woods
Nampa Magazine

In 1882 "Chief Nampai", aka Starr Wilkensen was an unusually large young man. He stood nearly seven-feet-tall, had size 15 feet, and measured six-feet around at the chest. Wilkenson was best known for his Cherokee heritage, however, some records say he also had some African and some Irish roots too. He joined a wagon train in Oklahoma headed West along the Oregon Trail. Wilkensen was well liked and accepted by the pioneers as one of their own. That is, until he fell in love with one of their daughters. Upon confessing his love, Wilkenson was "invited to leave" the wagon train. He did.
Wilkensen traveled South to the Snake River and found a group of 10 Red Band Shoshoni men camped there. They attacked him. "I guess I am a powerful man," recounted Wilkensen. "I had 10 braves on me and I still wouldn't go down". Not only did he remain standing, he overpowered all 10 of the Shoshoni men and was victorious over them. Impressed, the Shoshoni men followed Wilkensen as their leader. In the Shoshoni language, "Nampai" means foot. The Shoshoni called Wilkensen Nampai because of his large feet. Some historical accounts consider Wilkensen the origin of the legendary "Bigfoot" folklore.

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   However, Wilkensen's famous large feet were not nearly as distressing as his reaction to being asked to leave the wagon train. Wilkensen lead his band of braves back to the wagon train and killed the settlers, all of them. For the next several years Chief Nampai became a feared and notorious robber and murderer of travelers between Boise and Silver City.
   In 1883 the Oregon Shortline Railroad began laying tracks from Granger, Wyoming to Huntington, Oregon following the Oregon Trail. When they reached the wind swept plains and sagebrush of today's city of Nampa, they built a water tower and a small shed. They planted a small sign nearby bearing one word, "Nampa." Did the Oregon Shortline name their water tower after "Chief Nampai" famous bushwhacker of the day? We don't know for sure. Historical writings claim that the railroad water tower was named Nampa a year or two before the town of Nampa was founded. It's possible Nampa was named after Wilkensen by a railroad worker. However, there is a more sentimental possibility for the origin of the name Nampa as well.
   In 1885 Alexander and Hanna Duffes and Caldwell business partner James McGee homesteaded 160 acres East of Caldwell seeking to build a town. To get the project started the partners named their business the Nampa Land and Improvement Company. Duffes envisioned a community inhabited with Christian people, living and walking together in the faith.
   According to history, Duffes refused to sell any building lots to anyone looking to build a saloon due to his religious conviction. Saloon's meant card games, gambling, whiskey, and saloon girls, things that could take a Christian farmer or ranch-hand off the straight and narrow path. Therefore, there would be no saloons.
   Duffes and McGee mapped out the homestead, divided up the building lots and sold them. There was a tongue-in-cheek nick-name given the uprising little village, "New Jerusalem", the name reflected the strong Christian theme. However, two years later there were three saloons located in the new town. Some folks bought lots and resold them to others who didn't quite share the founders' faith and vision.
   We know that the "Nampa Land and Improvement Co." was named by Duffes and McGee. But where did they come across the name? The water tower? Sounds logical enough. Historical writings show the existing water tower was named Nampa, before The Nampa Land and Improvement Co. was founded. There is no solid ground to question that beyond the empirical resolve that history is often no more accurate than the people who took time write something down. And those folks were often biased and or partially informed. If history was a court case most of it would be tossed out; but that is what makes history so fascinating, there is always a mystery to try and solve. There is an alternative possibility how Nampa was named that is too plausible to completely ignore.
   Research from local historians found that the Shoshoni word "namb" means moccasin, and has brought some speculative attention as to the origins of the word "Nampa". Did Alexander Duffes somehow name his new town after Shoshoni footwear? The connection to "namb" (mocassin) was considered because Wilkensen was famous for his huge feet and its close phonetics to the word "Nampa". In many cultures, if you were named after something, say for example your feet, it was because there was something significant about your feet. In Wilkensen's case, his feet were so significant he had to go outside to turn around. However, I wasn't satisfied with "namb", let me explain. For example, take my friend "Hairball." Why on earth would I call someone "Hairball"? It's because Hairball is one very hairy dude. Note that I don't call "Hairball" - "Hairbrush". Likewise, if I had known Wilkensen, I probably would have called him Bigfoot, as opposed to mocassin. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Shoshoni stuffed their moccassins with sage brush in the winter to keep their feet warm, thus making their feet look bigger. I used to wear mocassins often when I was younger, and it seems to me, if I was going to put something in my mocassins to keep me warm, I would prefer rabbit fur, squirrel fur, or grouse feathers. However, the reference to "namb" or moccassin was a good lead. It lead me to a website that contained an official dictionary of the Shoshoni language. Shoshonidictionary.com to be exact. I typed in "Nampa". It didn't like Nampa and offered back, "Nampai" with the English definition, "foot". Hey! That sounds like Wilkensen! In my mind the connection was stronger than "namb". But, I was still troubled by one question.
   Nampai, though very close, was not Nampa. Was there a another tribe that used the specific word "Nampa"? Was Duffes or his wife connected to some kind of Native American background? I searched out this possibility. Duffes was persuaded to come to Caldwell after meeting James McGee in Portland, Oregon. However, before traveling to Portland, Duffes owned and operated a successful grain business in Burlington, Canada. Canada is home to one of the largest Native American Tribes in the world, the Cree nation. With this connection in mind, I began to research Canadian tribes and history. In doing so I found one, strong reference where the name "Nampa" is used and what it means.
   Several hundred miles North of Nampa, Idaho, is another city named Nampa. Nampa, Alberta, Canada. The founder of the town was local homesteader Robert Perry "Pa" Christian. In 1916, Christian granted an easement for the railroad to set up a water tank, pump house and rails across his land. "Pa" began to run the pump house for the railway and later opened a general store.
   At this time the area was named Tank, after the water tank. As the area grew a post office was added in 1924. Everything seemed to be going well... until the mail arrived. Too often, the mail for the town of Frank, Alberta, Canada arrived at Tank. Likewise, the mail for Tank often went to Frank.
   "Pa" Christian realized he had to change the name of the new post office. Christian was good friends with a local man named Johnny Glaudea (Glad-Yoo), who coincidently was the leader of a nearby Cree aboriginal tribe. (Canada commonly refers to indigenous cultures as aboriginal tribes, as opposed to the reference "Native American" used in the United States.) Tribes of the area included Blackfoot, Shoshoni, Cree, and Squamish. Christian approached Glaudea seeking help for a new name for the post office and after some thought Glaudea suggested "Nampa" which in his native tongue meant, "the place."
   So, there it is; Nampa is a Cree word that means "the place", but this still needed to be verified. Naturally, only the top research methods would suffice. I picked up the phone and made an international phone call... to Nampa, Alberta, Canada. I spoke with Sharon Unrah, local history buff and administrator of the Nampa Museum. Unrah confirmed that Nampa was indeed a Cree word that means "The Place." Additionally, it is synonymous with the sentiment "where your heart is", because that is how the Canadian locals felt about it. It is certainly more endearing and sentimental than Wilkenson's feet.
   In my mind its a connection too coincidental to casually dismiss. Did the Oregon Shortline Railroad name their water tower after Wilkensen and his famous feet? Or did Duffes bring the name with him from Canada? Duffes may have been familiar with the Cree language. He may have employed Cree natives at his Canadian business.
   Regardless, Nampa is a Cree word that refers to a wonderful place to be. Nampai, is a Shoshoni word that means foot. However Nampa (Idaho) got its name, it is a nice place to live, work and raise a family.
   As a final note, in Japan, "Nampa" is the art of picking up women and appears to be quite a popular discipline among many Japanese men. As for this magazine, sorry, not interested. You can research that "Nampa" on your own.

Alexander Duffes founder of Nampa, Idaho.