Origin of the Name "Onarga"

Myth Dispelled?  Or  How the Name Onarga Originated

Watseka Republican (29 June 1904)

Every once in awhile somebody on the West Side of the county comes to the front with
a story about an Indian legend in connection with the naming of the classic village of
Onarga. Generally the thing starts with some student of Grand Prairie Seminary or
some member of the local Ruskin Club with a literary stunt to do, who manufactures a
"legend" out of whole cloth and throws in a few touches about ancient cottonwoods and
things of that kind to give neighborhood color to the story. The paper appeals to the
sentimental emotions of the romantic and callow portion of the audience and gets into
the Leader and Review where a lot of people take it seriously and tell it to the old settler
whose mendacious imagination immediately proceeds to fill out the missing links and
supply other most affecting particulars, which in turn find their way into the
newspapers. It is all very pretty and even harmless but the Leader and Review, with the
idea of conserving the truth of history and perhaps putting some bounds to the
romancing of the local patriarchs has dug up from the collection of newspapers
clippings left by the late W. P. Pearson the following extract from an old issue of the
Chicago Tribune which gives what is no doubt the true history of the origin of the name
"Onarga" as well as several other names of places along the Illinois Central.

When the Illinois Central railway was surveyed through the grand prairie, how to find
names for the stations to be put some twelve or fifteen miles apart was a matter of
considerable difficulty, for no distinguished or learned pundit had lived at these
convenient distances to become immortal by having his name attached to these
embryo towns and cities.

The late John Calhoun, at the time an officer--if we mistake not, Land
Commissioner--was with the engineers when locating the road. While enjoying their
siesta one-day with only the prairie bounding the horizon in all directions, he and his
friends hit upon a happy and original expedient, which solved the perplexing problem
without further trouble.

"You give me'" said one to the other, "two, not more than three, consonants in any case,
and allow me to arrange them with any vowels, I may select, and we will invent names
from them. We will of course reject all that are not euphonious and pleasant to the ear."

The plan was at once adopted, "N T L," said his friend. Transposing them several
times with various vowels, Tolono was the result--a very beautiful name. "G R N" came
next, after a few trials, Onarga was selected. "N P T," and Peotone was soon formed.
How many more names along the Illinois Central railway were made in the same way
we know not, but several others, we are quite sure had a similar origin. But says one,
these names do not mean anything. Originally, of course, they did not; but as soon as a
town site was located and called Onarga, it did mean something, and a very beautiful
and prosperous town it is. And so of the other.

These facts are authentic, as we often heard them from Mr. Calhoun himself; and
though frequently urged to write them out, his modesty or pressing business
prevented. How much better are these names than the string of repetitions one meets
in New York, as Utica, Rome, Ithaca, Syracuse, and, for elegance and beauty
Horseheads and even Skaneatles. Illinois owes lasting gratitude to the memory of Mr.
Calhoun and his friends for her escape from such a calamity.