In Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada, next door to Maine, there is a "Skedaddle Ridge."
I was told that it got its name from the fact that some citizens of Maine skedaddled across the border to avoid being pressed into military service during one of the early American conflicts. I thought it was the War of Independence but it must have been the Civil War.
The name was mentioned often during the early 70's as new skedaddlers settled in the county.

Yet again, there are the purely artificial words, e. g., sockdolager, hunky-dory, scalawag, guyascutis, spondulix, slumgullion, rambunctious, scrumptious, to skedaddle, to absquatulate and to exfluncticate.
- H. L. Mencken, The American Language (1921) link

Yes, American language, skedou, skedaddle, cowboys in the the saddle.
Or soldiers if you like.

You can probably blame Mark Twain for some of it.

I love 23 skidoo.

That a music group? Level 42 and 23 skidoo?

I would presume many words have different meanings in different parts of the country, as we all know. Here in the midwest
skedaddle means to move quickly, as in "Let's skedaddle before she finds us at home".
Actually, listening to CNN and the like, we are now considered the 'high plains' and not the midwest. The more things change the more they remain the same.

where are you from, Luke? I always liked "The Great Plains" myself, sounds somehow more appropriate for those beautiful plains.

Just wondering, and knowing that word meanings do shift from time to time and place to place, can you skedaddle towards something or just away? In your example you are leaving a place anticipating someone's arrival. Could you, e.g., skedaddle over to the pool hall, without being explicit about where or why you were leaving some place?

to answer 'etaoin', I love the plains too. I actually enjoy
deserts better, however, I am from Nebraska: the great plains.
We have the largest underwater aquifer to counteract the sand hills, which are great for grazing, (at least Ted Turner seems to think so, as he is buying up all of the acres there he can get
his hands on -for whatever reason). I was referring to the fact that we used to be called the "midwest", but the TV weather people seem to be using that term for Ohio, Illinois, and that area whereas N,Dak,S.Dak,Neb,Kan, etc, are now the great plains.
I don't mind the term actually. We have corn (Cornhuskers notwithstanding), Kansas has wheat and so on. So thanks for the comment.

As for Faldage's comment as to Skedadle, I don't see why not. I can remember my grandmother(back in the 50's)(l950's, that is)
saying she was 'just going to skedadle over to Johnsies for some sugar" and would be back in a few minutes. Actually it was for
afternoon tea (both being Irish, that, you see). And she always
came home without it (the sugar, that is) but who noticed but her
nosy grandson, who learned never to 'questin gramma'. Thanks for
the comment ! !

yup! I was born and raised, (mostly) in South Dakota, with a few years in Iowa and Nebraska. (in the Sand Hills, Ainsworth to be exact) I know that country well!

Thanks, Luke. Interesting.

Did you mean underground aquifer perhaps?

What 'in the Sand Hills' are you talking about?
I have heard that expression and only glean its meaning from the context. Is there something special about The Sand Hills?

I guess Sam Hill might be from there. ;-)

are yu talkn' 'bout? (as a typical answer to the Sam Hill
expression.)

According to Wikipedia the "sand hills" are a region of mixed
grass prairie in north central Nebraska. I would venture to say
that they go beyond the regions indicated by the map in the
article (look under Sand Hills in Wiki...And there are pictures.!)
Lots of sand dunes covered by these grasses. If anyone saw
the movie "Dances With Wolves' you saw the area surrounding the
Sand Hills, tho' the movies was filmed in So.Dak, if I remember
correctly.
The Aquifer I mentioned, is under the Sand Hills, giving
water to most of the state, e.g. wells for center-pivot
irrigation,etc.
Thanks for the inquiries!

Yes, sorry to thePook
I meant underground aquifer. Another case of hands going faster
than poor old brain.

lived there(Sand Hills - Ainsworth, to be exact) for three years! (and SD for a lot more than that!)

No kidding! I've been to Ainworth, Chadron, and the like.
Often times side trips to and from Rapid City. Love the Badlands
as well as the Sand Hills: so quiet, so meditative, so peaceful.
And now, I see, you live in Vermont. Another place I'd love to
visit. So many see it in the Autumn, and of course calendar
pictures are always so glorious. Thanks for sharing.

cool! a lot of my Ainsworth HS friends went to Chadron State. I moved to Rapid City where I finished high school.

and Vermont is beautiful any time of year!

It has always been a goal of mine: as the song from somewhere states:
"soon and very soon"

I have a friend born and raised in Chamberlain SD, who grew up on the
Rosebud Reservation. He now lives here where I am, and went back last
summer visiting (Rapid City, that is). Took great pictures. It is
a great place, and then over into Wyoming to Custer County. Beautiful too.