In McClintock, a settler is referred to as a “cheechako.” What does that term mean?
Larry Belt
Houston, Texas
A “cheechako,” also spelled checaco and cheechalko, is pronounced chee-CHAH-koh. The term means tenderfoot, greenhorn or newcomer.
Apparently, the word is of Chinook origin, and it was used during the Alaska gold rush (and it is still used by some Alaskans today).
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Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and the Wild West History Association’s vice president. His latest book is 2018’s Arizona Oddities: A Land of Anomalies and Tamales. Send your question, with your city/state of residence, to marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu or Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327.
