Kiamichi River - Name Source

Name Source

The exact origin of the word Kiamichi is a matter of debate and may never be fully known. Most accounts say the word is French for "horned screamer" or "noisy bird," a reference to woodpeckers or other birds living along the river's banks. The spelling of the modern word was not standardized until the twentieth century, making its origin more difficult to determine. The Antlers News, a newspaper published in Antlers, Oklahoma (then Antlers, Indian Territory) first used the spelling, "Kiamichi" in November 1900—prior to this it, along with other authoritative sources, spelled the name of the river as "Kiamichia" or "Kiamitia".