Stolen from politics board, but appropriate for this board:

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/manchaca-or-menchaca-austin-city-council-deciding-on-name-change/1497923196

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The Austin City Council voted Thursday to change the name of Manchaca Road by one letter to Menchaca.
The change will take effect Nov. 15.
Supporters say it's meant to correct a historical misspelling. Jos Antonio Menchaca fought for Texas in the Battle of San Jacinto. His name was first misspelled shortly after the battle.
A retired judge has been keeping up for years with the efforts to change the name.

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Quote:

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However, those with the Manchaca-Onion Creek Historical Association say it's incorrect. They say the name Manchaca came from Manchaca Springs and say the name was derived from the word "manchac" from the Choctaw Native American Tribe vocabulary.

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I remembered the town of Manchac, Louisiana, near where my dad grew up, and decided to look that up.

Quote:

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Dr John R. Swanton a linguist who worked with Native American languages suggested that the name Manchac is derived from Imashaka which is a Choctaw word meaning "the rear entrance"

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayou_Manchac

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Manchac was first established by the Indians on the West side of lake Maurepas; the word Manchac meaning "rear entrance" to the LAke.

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http://www.ponchatoula.com/history.html

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Manchac comes from the Choctaw Indian word imashaka, which means "behind it" or "to the rear"

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http://www.acadiansingray.com/photo%20gallery-historical_names-east.htm

Older article on the Austin debate from KUT:
http://www.kut.org/post/whats-name-long-debate-over-manchaca-versus-menchaca

From the first KXAN article:

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The International Great Northern Railroad named the community knowN as Manchaca

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The Great Northern Railroad also named the town of Manchac, Louisiana, which every source I can find agrees is derived from the Choctaw word.

I suspect the historical society is likely much closer to the truth, and a bunch of money is about to be spent to correct a non-inaccuracy with a real inaccuracy.

Thoughts?

The Austin City Council can take (takes) a Manchac in their butt.

The Hispanics and Native Americans should have a hobo knife fight to the death to ensure their version of history prevails.

And when, if ever, did Choctaw ever come close to being anywhere around Austin???? Can we say the north side of the Red River?

Choctaw were in South Louisiana. My guess would be that the Great Northern Railroad reused the name.

It isn't Native Americans raising a fuss; it's the Manchaca Springs historical society trying to explain the origin of the name, and I believe they're correct. But Austin folks are trigger-happy to Hispanicize it, led by an enthusiastic but possibly confused retired hobbyist.