The Clinton county town of Camanche, Iowa is one of 11 schools in Iowa that use the nickname Indians . But after a vote by their school board this week, they don t plan to use it anymore.
KCRG says the board voted 5-1 to retire at the end of the school year the name that s been in use since 1961. They say the move comes after decades of recommendations from Native American groups and school agencies.
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But, wait, isn t the town s name, Camanche itself the name of a Native American tribe? The town s website talks about Dr. George K. Peck who, in 1836 joined thousands of other people trekking to Iowa on foot, in teams, and by boat. Peck s ancestors had come with the Pilgrims, and his father was a colonel in the Army during the Revolutionary War. On his journey, Peck came upon a high bank he thought was ideal for a settlement, and thus it became Camanche (which he had indeed misspelled) in honor of the Native American tribe, Comanche. So, you could say