In 1891, Louisville’s first Park Board of Commissioners tasked Reuben Durrett, President of the Filson Historical Society, to prepare a report on possible park names to submit to the rest of the board.
He identified three Indigenous groups that figured prominently in Kentucky’s history: the Shawnee, Iroquois and Cherokee. Durrett proposed park names in each Indigenous language for the three original flagship parks.
Cherokee Park was originally proposed to be Chen-o-ee, The Cherokee name for the Kentucky country. Iroquois was to be named O-nan-ta, the Iroquois word for mountain. Shawnee Park was to be named Al-wa-me-ke, the Shawnee word for bottom land.
An editorial in the Courier-Journal asserted that the proposed names were obscure and difficult to pronounce, and that the names of the Indigenous groups themselves should be adopted instead. The compelling argument led the park commissioners to name our three flagship parks Cherokee, Iroquois and Shawnee. With the naming of the parks, the board intended to honor the history and legacy of these Indigenous people.
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