A sampling of the evolution of early Utah place names and town monikers

                  Angels Landing and the Walter Wiggles part of the trail.

THERE were many original Utah place names that didn’t stick and were replaced by today’s modern titles. Here are some of them:

-Angels Landing: El Gobernador was its first title, in honor of William Spry, Utah Governor. But the name was superseded by a comment made during a Zion Park visit by Ogden Reverend Frederick Vining Fisher, who said that only angels would land there, as they paid respect to the throne of Deity, the Great White Throne, located across the Zion Canyon.

-Antelope Island: It had three early names, Antelope, Buffalo and Church. Osborne Russell, a trapper in the area in 1841 made a diary reference to the presence of antelope and buffalo on the Isle; Church Island was because the LDS Church owned it at one time.

                           Two dead trees on Antelope Island.

-Bountiful: Probably no City in Utah had more early names. It was settled in 1847 and Calls Settlement was the city's first name, for Anson Call, a visitor to the area. Sessions Settlement was its next title, followed by Mill Creek Canyon Ward and North Canyon Ward. By 1854, the first post office was titled North Canyon Settlement. The name Stoker, in honor of John Stoker, the first Mormon bishop there, also reigned for a time. Finally, in 1855, Stoker himself proposed Bountiful, the title of an ancient city in the Book of Mormon and that became official on Feb. 27, 1855.

-Centerville: This city was first known as Deuel Creek for Osmyn M. Deuel, who settled on a creek there. Next, it was Cherry Settlement for pioneer Benjamin Cherry. The Centerville name was a geographical reference to its center location between Bountiful and Farmington — the two oldest settlements in Davis County.

-Delicate Arch: Was known to early cowboys in the area by such names as "Cowboy Chaps" “Schoolmarm’s Bloomers” and "Mary's Bloomers." Delicate Arch superseded those range titles.

                               A group poses at Delicate Arch.           Photograph by Liz Arave Hafen

-Farmington: Farmington — Hector Haight was the first settler and Haights Bench, North Cottonwood Creek and Miller's Settlement were earlier names of the community. On Feb. 18, 1852, the Farmington name was officially applied, as a reminder to the fertile soil that made it a good farming area.

-Farr West: Was known as West Harrisville at first. Then, Farr West came along because it was both west of Farr’s Fort (named for Lorin Farr, first LDS Stake President in the area) and also because of early settler Chauncey W. West.

 -Fremont Island: Its first title was Disappointment Island, during John C. Fremont’s 19843 government survey. Then, Castle Island, for the distinctive shape on its northern end. Some dubbed it Miller’s Island, for the sheep herder owner. Then, it was even Wenner Island when that family lived there for four years. Finally, the Fremont name became universal.

-Hooper: It was Muskrat Springs at first, for a spring with the animals nearby. Next came Hooperville and then shortened to Hooper, in honor of Captain William H. Hooper, an early Utah delegate to Congress, who had cattle there.

                                Hooper historical sign.

-Morgan: It was oddly named “Monday Town Hollow” at first. The name came from the fact that many settlers moved in on a Monday. But, residents later called it after the middle name of LDS Church leader Jedediah Morgan Grant.

-Magna: "Ragtown" was its original name and then "Pleasant Green". However, some felt there were too many “Pleasant” titled towns in Utah already, so Magna, either the name of a local mine or a Masonic phrase, became the title.

-Morgan: It was strangely named “Monday Town Hollow” at first. The name came from the fact that most settlers moved in on a Monday. But, residents later titled it after the middle name of LDS Church leader Jedediah Morgan Grant.

-Mountain Green: Named as such in 1859 by settler George Higley for the its beautiful meadows, hills and valleys. Yet, “Deserter Point” was its original moniker, as in May of 1825, a disagreement over territory and pay meant that 23 trappers from Peter Skene Ogden’s group deserted and went over to the rival Johnson Gardner trapping party.

-Ogden: Was originally named Fort Buenaventura, before the Pioneers arrived. It was then known as Brownsville, in honor of Captain James Brown of the Mormon Battalion, until 1850 when it became Ogden, honoring Peter Skene Ogden, early trapper.

-Peterson: It was first settled in 1855 as Weber City, being along the Weber River. The name was later changed to Peterson, in honor of early settler Charles S. Peterson.

-Riverdale: Was known as Stringtown at first, because its early homes were strung along a single road leading to Ogden. Then, it was Jack Thompson settlement, named for an early settler. Finally, its proximity to the Weber River inspired its title.

-Stoddard: The town received its title after Judson L. Stoddard settled there in 1860. However, “Rumpus Town” was later a temporary nickname after many disputes over water rights and usage. Farmers were said to need three essentials during their water turns in that rugged era: hip boots, shovel and sidearm.

A trio of unusually titled mountain ranges in Utah -- San Francisco, Wah Wah and Confusion

                                              Kings Peak, center, highest point in Utah.

UTAH boasts a fleet of lofty mountain ranges. There are the kingpin of tall ranges -- the High Uintas, the La Sals, the Wasatch and the Tushar range.
However, the Beehive State also contains dozens of shorter mountain ranges, some remote and others far lesser-known.
For example, Utah has its own San Francisco Mountains, located west of Millard. And, in that same are are the Wah Wah Mountains. This particular area has a colorful mining history that dates back to the 1870 and the Wah Wah Range rises to more than 8,400 feet above sea level. The downside to this area is that it is very dry, with few regular sources of water.
Found west of Delta is another unusually name mountain string -- the Confusion Range. This mountain terrain was first publicly mentioned in an 1894 newspaper account and rises to a maximum of 7,430 feet.
-There are also periodic efforts in Utah to rename some natural features that are sometime deemed offensive in the 21st Century era of political correctness.
For example, Squaw Peak in Provo Canyon is one of these possibly demeaning titles.
However, there is also a same-named "Squaw Peak" located west of Milford. And there is also a "Squaw Springs" found in the La Sal Mountains.

Levan, Utah: Sinkng the 'Navel myth'

By Lynn Arave

Is the Beehive State’s most common “belly button” joke true? Is Levan, Utah, in Juab County, actually named for being the word “navel” spelled backwards, since geographically a belly button would be about where this town is located, in the center of Utah?

As amusing and widespread as this strange name origin is, it is likely not true. However, myth can supersede fact over time and that is almost surely what has happened with Levan’s origin.

Consider the following:

-The likely first-ever public reference to the town of Levan was in the Deseret News on May 6, 1868:

“A new town site has been surveyed between           chicken and pigeon creeks on the east side of the valley some three and half miles northeast of the old Chicken Creek settlement. A field has also been surveyed and improvements have commenced. The new location is called Levan.”

Now one problem here is that you’ve got to adjust for history and different borders back then. In 1868, there was NO State of Utah -- that was 28 years distant.

It was the Territory of Utah, with the borders including a portion of western Colorado and a chunk of Wyoming. Thus, the Territory was wider in 1868 than today and not as conducive to adding a "navel" to it, at least where Levan is located.

Wyoming was made a state three months after the community of Levan began (taking away that "chunk" from Utah) and the State of Colorado came along in 1876. So, Utah's borders weren't like today until 1876, eight years after Levan came along.

(Nevada was made a State in 1864, but Utah territory kept a portion of today's Nevada until boundary changes in January of 1867.)

Even if Brigham Young named the community, it likely wasn’t for the navel reason.

And, furthermore, why in the world would Brigham start out a new town with a joke kind of name, given the rough living conditions of the territory back then?

The masterful book, “Utah Place Names,” John W. Van Cott states on the Levan monkier: “There are several French, Latin, or Piute interpretations of the name, suggesting it means East of the Sunrise, Land of the Sunrise, Rear rank of a moving Army, Frontier Settlement or Little Water. The tongue-in-cheekers say the name is a reverse spelling of Navel, because it is located in the center of the state. Several different spellings have been recorded.”

Any of those meanings probably make more sense than navel.

Yet, ultimately Navel is still becoming the origin of the name Levan, because of extreme popular reference over time.

Former Levan Mayor Connie Dubinsky was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune on March 4, 1997 as saying,

''We don't really know for sure, but that's what we tell people.'’

So, this is really more a case of almost universal acceptance of a myth that becomes truth over time. Thus, technically Levan is not a 'belly button" town, but it is the "Navel" community by default.

AND, ever since one of the last new sections of I-15 opened in 1986 and meant most Utahns bypass Levan, the little town needs ALL the publicity it can get.

Levan is located about 11 miles south of Nephi along U-28. Before 1986, the majority of drivers went directly through Levan.

Also note too that U.S. Highway 89, between Logan and Brigham City, is not almost universally called "Sardine Canyon," even though the actual Sardine Canyon isn't traversed there. Again, popular usage became the rule.)

Secondly, note also that some local histories of Levan don’t even have the Chicken Creek reference correct, since they state that Chicken Creek was Levan’s original name. No, Chicken Creek was a former settlement, located 3.5 miles northeast of Levan.

-Another strange moniker was the town of Payson’s original title. It was originally named “Peteetneet.”

It was titled for the creek in the area and after a local Indian chief. Later, the branch of the LDS Church was named Peteetneet too. Then, the town was renamed after James Pace, a settler who led the emigrants there. At first it was spelled “Pacen” and later “Payson.”

-Here are some other odd Utah names, past and present:

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park was originally known by three other names: Schoolmarm's Bloomers, Cowboy Chaps and Mary's Bloomers.

Fairfield, west of Utah Lake in Utah County, was first known as Frogtown, for the plentiful amphibians in the nearby Sevier River.

"Ragtown" was the original name for Magna, which also, for some reason, surrendered its attractive second title, "Pleasant Green" too.

Baptist Draw, in Emery County, received its name when early settler Joe Swasey "baptized" his dog by tossing it into one of the draw's water pockets.

Bottle Hollow, Uintah County, was so named because it was a mile-long dump for empty liquor bottles of U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Duchesne in the 1880s.

China Lake in Summit County got its name either after a Chinese man and his mule drowned in it or because it was said you could sink down to China before reaching the bottom of the deep lake.

Deadman Ridge, Garfield County, got the title after Myron Shurts was killed by lightning there in 1912.

SOURCES: Deseret News Archives, “Utah Place Names,” by John W. Van Cott.

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Morgan County names: From Chinatown to Hardscrabble

Morgan County names: From Chinatown to Hardscrabble

Morgan County is home to many historic place names.

Here’s a sampling of them:

Chinatown:  This small section of colorful red rock, similar to Cedar Breaks in Southern Utah, is located northeast of Croydon. It was titled after the Chinese pagoda shapes of some of its unusual rock formations.

                                            Chinatown

Como Springs: Dr. T.S. Wadsworth named the place after Lake Como, Italy, where Mrs. Samuel Francis, an early settler, was born.

Croydon: Its original name was Lost Creek. It may have been renamed in 1866 after a town in England, the homeland of some early settlers in the area.

East Canyon: Mormon Pioneers named it as such in 1847. However, originally it was called Bauchmins Creek, after a local trapper.

Dead Ox Canyon/Peak: Both names originate from oxen dying in the area, either due to snowstorms or starvation.

Hardscrabble Canyon: The canyon supplied lumber for many railroad ties in the area, but it was a hard canyon to get in and out of – a “scrabble” to access. Its original moniker was Mill Creek.

Lost Creek and Lost Creek Reservoir: The creek was originally called Plumbar Creek for an early trapper. However, it was also sometimes called “Plumber Creek,” since it disappears from sight underground occasionally along its course. That angle also gave rise to its “lost” nature, though there is also a tale of two pioneers in 1855, who were lost during a snowstorm in that area.

Morgan: It was strangely named “Monday Town Hollow” at first. The name came from the fact that most settlers moved in on a Monday. But, residents later titled it after the middle name of LDS Church leader Jedediah Morgan Grant (father of eventual LDS Church President Heber J. Grant).

Mountain Green: Named as such in 1859 by settler George Higley for the area’s beautiful meadows, valleys and hills. However, “Deserter Point” was its original moniker, as in May of 1825, a dispute over territory and pay meant that 23 trappers from Peter Skene Ogden’s group deserted and went over to the rival Johnson Gardner trapping party.

Peterson: It was first settled in 1855 as Weber City, being along the Weber River. The name was later changed to Peterson, in honor of early settler, Charles S. Peterson.

Porterville: Titled in honor of all the Porter families who settled there in its early days.

                Modern day Trappers Loop road.                                       Photo by Whitney Arave

Stoddard:  The community was given its title after Judson L. Stoddard settled there in 1860. However, “RumpusTown” was later its temporary nickname after numerous disputes over water rights and usage. Rumors state that farmers needed three essentials during their water turns in the area: hips boots, shovel and sidearm.

Trapper’s Loop Road: Named after the route Indians, trappers and early settlers used to traverse between Morgan Valley and Ogden Valley. However, today’s highway is westward and much higher in elevation than the original path, that clung to lower dips and valleys.

Sources: “Utah Place Names,” by John W. Van Cott and “A History of Morgan County,” by Linda H. Smith.

(-Originally published in the Ogden Standard-Examiner, Feb. 28, 2014.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net  

At least 17 lakes misidentified in the High Uintas

  Mirror Lake, High Uintas, is named correctly, but many other lakes are not.

MAPS are one of the last places you'd expect to find misspellings and inaccuracies. However these source materials aren't always as precise as you hope them to be. Case in point - at least a dozen lakes on the west side of the High Uintas are identified incorrectly on most maps, according to two former summer residents of the area.

John "Jack" Clegg, of Provo and his sister, Patricia C. Christiansen-Burke of Heber City, would both like to set the record straight and get these lakes listed accurately on maps - especially before the origin of some of the names might fade away.

"I think they should be looked at," Clegg said of the map errors.

Clegg's father, "Cardie" spent 56 years working for a union of all irrigation companies having reservoirs on the upper Provo River watershed.

Cardie named at least 17 of the area's lakes himself. Growing up, John Clegg and his sister, Pat, spent many summers working with his father, near Trial Lake.

"Places needed names and there weren't any," Clegg said of the Trial Lake area when his father began working there. "He had no plans to enshrine his friends or relatives (in the naming process)."

Clegg said names were critically needed to help people get around the area and that his father did his best at creating some of those titles.

He said most errors in lake names crept in during the map transcribing process.

                     There are hundreds of lakes in the High Uintas.

One of the most unusual of misspellings is the prominent Blizzard Lake, just south of Bald Mountain Pass. Although it does seem appropriate for a snowstorm name in a high-altitude land where white moisture can fall from the sky in almost any month of the year, blizzard is not accurate for the lake's name.

Clegg said it was originally named Blazzard Lake, after a pioneer family in Kamas that still owns a lumber yard there. Map errors have repeated themselves over the years.

Traipsing around with Clegg and his sister in the Trial Lake area of the Uintas provided a firsthand account at the inaccuracy of some lake names.

Visiting officially named Azure and Rock lakes shows why the names should be reversed.

Located less that 100 yards from each other, the eastern lake - Azure - is actually the one with rocks all around it and even a few large boulders cropping up in the water. Rock Lake to the west, meanwhile, has grasses growing all around it and is partially surrounded by pine trees.

Clegg said this misnamed Rock Lake is the true Azure Lake because of the poignant sky-blue color it assumes under a clear sky.

A visit to so-called Hourglass Lake also proves it is inaccurately named. Circling the lake, there's no hourglass shape visible. However, a spectacle (eyeglasses) shape does exist and that was its original name - Spectacle Lake.

             Mirror Lake, as seen from near the top of Bald Mountain's summit.

Still another wrong name involves Adax Lake, located three miles north of Long Mountain. Sometime at least after 1964, maps started spelling the name from its original Adix form. It was named for Vern Adix, son-in-law of Cardie Clegg, who planted the first fish in the lake.

Yet another misspelling comes with Rhoads Lake. It was originally called Rhodes Lakes, after Ollie L. Rhodes, a friend of Cardie Clegg and poet who featured the Uintas in his writings.

One lake name change that's actually been good is Fire Lake, located west of Trial Lake. Clegg said it was originally "North Fork No. 5." Somehow Five was twisted to Fire.

"That's OK," Clegg said. "That adds a little charm. But it leaves `No. 1 Junior' to the north of `No. 5' with no meaning."

Besides some lakes having wrong names, different maps - Forest Service, U.S. Geological, etc. - don't always use the same title for lakes in the high Uintas. But that's another story.

--Additional Information

The misidentified:

Wrong Name/Original Name

Adax Lake Adix Lake

Azure Lake Rock Lake

Beaver Lake Duck Lake

Blizzard Lake Blazzard Lake

Duck Lake N. Fork No. 6 Lake

Fire Lake North Fork No. 5

Petit Lake Petite Lake

Rhoads Lake Rhodes Lake

Rock Lake Azure Lake

Twin Lakes Lower Twin Lake

Twin Lakes Upper Twin Lake

(-All photographs by Roger Arave.)

(-Distilled from an article by Lynn Arave in the Deseret News, Oct. 27, 1997.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net