I found these facts really interesting. Have you ever wondered why places were named what they were named? Sometimes we see the names stay the same and the meanings change. For instance King County was not named for Martin Luther King Jr. But now the County's seal bears his image. Where did you home town get it's name?

Shelton was named for David Shelton, who homesteaded the area in 1853. A former fur trapper, Indian fighter, and gold prospector, Shelton was a member of the first territorial legislature and succeeded in having his home area organized as Sawamish County. At a later session he sponsored a bill to change the county name to Mason.

Allyn was named for Judge Frank Allyn of Tacoma, who was involved in the formation of the town about 1889.

Belfairwas originally called Clifton, as were several other WA towns. To avoid confusion, it was renamed in 1925 by Mrs. Murray, the postmistress, who submitted the name Belfair from a book that she was then reading.

Dewatto is a Hood Canal community that bears an adaptation of the Indian place name du-a-to,meaning "home of evil spirits who make men crazy." In Indian legend, spirits emerged from the bowels of the earth in the Dewatto Bay area and attempted to enter the bodies of normal warriors.

Grapeview was platted in 1891 as Detroit. The town was later renamed, as it faces the vineyards of the Isle of Grapes (Stretch Island)

The island community of Harstine Islandwas named for Lt. Henry J. Harstine, of the Wilkes expedition.

Hoodsport took its name from Hood Canal, which was named for Lord Samuel Hood by the Vancouver expedition.

Kamilche is a corruption of an Indian word meaning "valley."

Lilliwaup took its name from an Indian word meaning "inlet." Matlockwas first called Mason. It was renamed in the late 1890s by early settler James Hodkinson for his home town in England.

Oakland was the original county seat. It was named in 1852 by pioneer settler William T. Morrow for a scattering of oak trees in the area.

Potlatchis named for its location at the site of a former Skokomish Indian potlatch house.

Squaxin Island, the reservation on it, and the present tribal name are derived from the Indians' original name for themselves.

Stretch Islandis a small island in Case Inlet. It was named by the Wilkes Expedition for gunner's mate Samuel Stretch. In 1878 Walter Eckert established a vineyard on the island. The place became known locally as the Isle of Grapes.

Tahuya derives its name from Indian words meaning "that done," in reference to some now unknown event at that place.

Union was originally a logging center on Hood Canal, and the town was named Union City in 1858. The latter word was dropped by the post office in 1904, and by the town fathers some years later.

Victor was named in 1892, but the source of the name is unknown.
(From Washington State Placenames, by James W. Phillips, Univ. of WA Press.)