Who in the Sam Hill is Sam Hill?

A phrase that I often heard growing up, usually from my dad, was "What in the Sam Hill is going on?" and I've always wondered where it came from.

Well, wonder no more, because I looked it up.

"Sam Hill" is a euphemism or minced oath for "devil" or "hell". (Obviously)

But one might ask, "What in the Sam Hill is a minced oath?"

A minced oath is apparently a type of euphemism, unique to profanities. Gosh, darn, heck, dang, dadgummit, crap, and jeez louise would all be examples of minced oaths.

There are many theories on exactly where the "Sam Hill" comes from. One that seems plausible refers to a store owner named Sam Hill who offered an unusual array of items. It became commonplace to ask, "What in the Sam Hill is that?" upon finding something out of the ordinary. Apparently Sam Hill's building is still standing in Prescott, Arizona. It's ranked #2 of 21 attractions in Prescott, according to TripAdvisor, so if you're ever there. . .

There's another story about the adjutant general of Kentucky, Samuel Ewing Hill. He was sent by the governor to investigate the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys in 1887. Because the situation had attracted so much media attention, the entire country waited with bated breath to hear "What in the Sam Hill was going on."

So, cute stories, but who knows if either of them are true. There are other ideas out there too if you want to look at the Wikipedia entry for Sam Hill, which is exactly what I did.

Thank goodness for the internet. I only have been waiting for this information for 30 years.