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As the warm days of summer are replaced with the brisk nip of fall, your question proves the perfect puzzle for us to tackle. According to USA Today, the term "Indian Summer" dates back to 18th-century United States. It can be defined as "any spell of warm, quiet, hazy weather that may occur in October or even early November." Other weather phenomena associated with a true Indian Summer include dry, hazy conditions and southwesterly winds that occur after the first killing frost. The true origin of the term, however, is the subject of much research and debate. It first shows up in writing in 1778, in a letter
from Frenchman-turned-American-farmer named St. John de Crevecoeur who wrote: Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. Some speculate the weather phenomenon is named after the Native Americans because they were the first to recognize the pattern. They used the mild weather to hunt and harvest crops in preparation for the winter. Another theory suggests the name was inspired by the Native American belief that the favorable winds were a gift from a god in the desert Southwest. Still another possibility is that the weather pattern was so-named because it occurred more frequently out
west, in "Indian" territory, than it did back east. And one rather prejudicial explanation suggests that in this context, "Indian" is used to mean false, so an "Indian Summer" is a false summer. In a different vein, another theory suggests trading ships used this good weather period to travel to the Indian Ocean. Several ships actually had an "I.S." mark on their hulls at the load level thought safe during the Indian Summer. Chances are, we will never know the origin of the phrase with any certainty.
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