Marais des Cygnes River

With the river a dominant feature of the county, the origin of the name is of interest. Marais des Cygnes is a French translation of an Osage appellation meaning “marsh of the swans.” According to American Indian legend, Coman and Osa, two young Indians from different tribes, fell in love. Coman’s tribe was of the water; Osa’s tribe was of the forest. Against the instructions of Osa’s grandfather, a tribal elder who had forbidden the two to marry, the lovers set off down the river in Coman’s canoe, only to be pulled under by a great and unforeseen force. Two swans appeared where the canoe had been moments before. The river has since been known as the marsh of the swans.