Sunday Fun: Behind Washington State's Monopoly on Sad Place Names

Amy Rolph ponders the ubiquity of sad place names in the state of Washington:

Anyone who has road-tripped around Washington state might have noticed a depressing trend: Cape Disappointment. Point No Point. Deception Pass. Foulweather Bluff. Useless Bay. Point Defiance. Obstruction Island. Massacre Bay. Destruction Island. Dismal Nitch.

What is it about Washington that inspires such a gothic theme in its place names, Rolph wonders, digging up the reasons behind four of the dreariest examples from the state's collection: Deception Pass, Cape Disappointment, Point Defiance, and Destruction Island. The history of Destruction Island even includes an equally macabre place name in a different language: Isla de Dolores (Island of Sorrows).

If a collection of sad place names is up your sad little alley, check out earlier Planetizen coverage of an Instagram feed made up entirely of sad place names.