The North State is teeming with interesting and beautiful spots to visit.
However, pronouncingthe names of some of these places might leave you guessing.
We asked around to get the proper pronunciation for some of the more well-known —and possibly lesser-known nooks and crannies in the North State.
This is not an exhaustive list, and I will bet we have left off some obvious ones, and readers will remind us of that.
We also expect there will be people who disagree with the pronunciations we provide here. Indeed, we heard from reliable sources different pronunciations for the sameNorth State landmarks.
Now that all the weasle-y, wishy-washymea culpas are out of the way, here are our picks, in alphabetical order.
How to say...
Ah-di-na— A Wintu word that is pronounced "awe dee nah," according to Jack Potter Jr., tribal chairman of the Redding Rancheria. According to local historian Dottie Smith, the campground is a former Wintu village site beside the McCloud River in northern Shasta County.
Ahjumawi — The name of Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park. Pronounced "awe jum awe wee." The "u" in "jum" is short, as in "jump." According to the California State Parks Department, Ahjumawimeans “where the waters come together” in the Ajumawi language.
Artois— The little town just north of Willows on Interstate 5 is pronounced "R" "toys," according to the folks at Artois Market and Artois Feed.
Bohemotash Mountain —Pronounced "Bow hem tosh" with the "tosh" like "nosh," according to Potter. Not much information is out there about this 4,460-foot mountain west of Lake Shasta, except it is a Wintu name.
Bumpass Hell— It's not likely people mispronounce "hell," when visiting the fumaroles and hot springs at Lassen Volcanic National Park.But park spokesman Kevin Sweeney said visitors sometimes get the second part of Bumpass wrong, putting too much emphasis on the last three letters. The correct way to say it is "bump us," he said.
Centimudi — Say it like “Cent uh moody,” Potter says of the Wintu name. It is a popular boat ramp near Shasta Dam on the east side of Lake Shasta.
Chanchelulla— There's a bit of disagreement over how to say the name of this mountain and wilderness area west of Redding, between Platina and Hayfork. The U.S. Forest Service pronounces the name of the mountain and wilderness area "Chan cha lew la." "Chan" rhymes with "can," "che"rhymes with "duh," "llu" rhymes with "dew" and "la" also has the uh sound. Potter, though, says the name is pronounced with a long "e" at the end.
Clikapudi — Pronounced “Click uh poody." Another Wintu name given to a cool littletrail near the shore of Lake Shasta in the Jones Valley area of the lake.
Del Norte — Name of a county in northwest California."Del" rhymes with "bell" and "Norte" rhymes with"snort," with a silent "e" at the end, according toGrace Bennett, former Siskiyou County supervisor.
Flournoy— Out in southwestern Tehama County there is a little community called Flournoy. You pronounce the name as "floor" "noy."
Gasquet — Atown in Del Norte county east of Crescent City. The name is pronounced "gas key," Bennett said.
Grenada —The little town south of Yreka along Interstate 5 in Siskiyou County pronounced like how you say hand grenade but with an "a" the end, like "Grin Aduh." Not Granada, like the city in Spain.
Hyampom— The small community west of Hayfork is pronounced "Hi am pom," with the "pom" pronounced like "pom pom."
Igo— Tiny little town in western Shasta County that suffered through the Zogg Fire back in September and October. The name is pronounced "eye go."
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Kanaka Peak — The 2,616-foot-tall mountain on the southern border of Whiskeytown Nationial Recreation Area is pronounced "Kah nah kah." Pretty straightforward.
Kohm Yah-mah-nee — Pronounced like "comb ya ma knee," it is aMaidu word that means "snow covered." It is on this list because kohm yah-mah-nee is also the name of a visitor center at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Macdoel— The name of the little community along Highway 97 in northern Siskiyou County is pronounced "Mc dough el," Bennett said.
Ono— This is another tiny little town out in western Shasta County — kinda the sister city to Igo. This sibling's name, though,is pronounced "Oh no."
Placer— The name of a major street in Redding rhymes with "glass-er." It was a type of mining, when that was a thing in Shasta County back in the 1800s.
Reading Island — Pronounced just like "Redding," Reading Island is named afterShasta County and California pioneer Maj. Pierson B. Reading, who in 1844 received a 26,632-acre land grant from the Mexican government. The land grant ran along the Sacramento Riverfrom Cottonwood to Redding. Reading's grave and a monument to him are located out on Adobe Road in Cottonwood near the island.
Tehama — Obviously the name of the county that borders Shasta County on the south and the name of a street in Redding. In the common pronunciation, the first "a" is a long, like "Tuh hay muh." Tehama is also the name of a mountain that no longer exists in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Mt. Tehama collapsed hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Seiad — Pronounced like "sigh ad," Bennett said. It is small town along the Klamath River on Highway 96 in Siskiyou County west of Yreka.
Viola— Out east of Shingletown on Highway 44 is a small town called Viola, and it is pronounced just like famous actress Viola Davis' first name: "vie" and "ola" with a long "O."
Yolla Bolly— Pronounced "Yo la Bow lee." "Yolla" means"snow covered", and "Bolly" means"high peak" in Wintu. There are the Yolla Bolly mountains and Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest west of Red Bluff.
Did we miss a name? If you have a suggestion to add to the list above, email Damon Arthur at damon.arthur@redding.com.
Go to Redding.com to watch a subscribers-only video of Record Searchlight reporter Damon Arthur narrating a puncuation guide to the places highlighted in this article.
Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environmentreporter. He is among the first on the scene at breaking news incidents, reporting real time on Twitter at@damonarthur_RS. Damon is part of a dedicated team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-225-8226 and damon.arthur@redding.com. Help local journalism thrive bysubscribing today!
