7. It Is Unclear How Inwood Hill Park Received Its Name

Before the Department of Parks purchased the land for Inwood Hill Park in 1916, the site was known as Cock or Cox Hill during the Colonial and post-Revolutionary War period. Large areas of the park are comprised of hills, which might explain part of its name. However, theories suggest that the green space could actually be named after a variant of the word “Shorakapok,” which was used by the Native Americans to refer to to the site. According to the Department of Parks, it translates to “the wading place,” “the edge of the river,” or “the place between the ridges.”