Although racism north of the Mason-Dixon line was thought to have been eradicated in 1964, government researchers claim to have spotted it in the wild just recently, lurking in "the remote meadows and forests of upstate New York."

The WSJ reports that they just recently noticed that New York state maps have "Nigger Lake" and "Nigger Road" and "Nigger River." This was all completely unknown! Now the state's changing the names on its official maps, to, for example, "unnamed lake." (Why not Unity Lake? Eh?) Still, the post-racial citizens of modern New York are utterly mystified as to what this all means.

The precise origin of the names is a mystery to even the most rooted locals. "I'd like to say, 'Talk to one of the old folks around here,' but the trouble with that is I'm 83." said Tom Bissell, a local historian from Hamilton County.

I bet one could successfully theorize on the topic if one really wanted to.

[WSJ. Photo: Shutterstock]