Most People Don’t Know the Meaning Behind These 15 Utah Town Names
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Many of Utah’s towns are named after the people who settled them originally. Others are named after people in the Book of Mormon. Some of Utah’s towns have more surprising origins. Check out these 15 town names and their meanings.
The Spanish word for "tall" is "Alta." Alta got its name due to its high elevation.
This town was originally named Castle Vale, but a post office worker made a mistake on some paperwork, and the town ended up as Castle Dale.
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The first child born in the settlement was given the name, "Corinne," so they named the town after her!
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Elmo is named after the book "St. Elmo," written in 1866 by Augusta Jane Evans.
The first LDS Bishop in the area was born in Goshen, Connecticut.
When the Western and Rio Grande railroads came to Utah in the early 1880s, the area began to develop. "Helper" engines were stored in the town to assist locomotives over steep Soldier Summit.
LDS Church Apostle Erastus Snow visited the town and mentioned that the heavy winds there were like a hurricane.
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The Native American word means "willow."
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The town of Loa is named after a volcano in Hawaii, "Mauna Loa." One of the settlers served an LDS mission to Hawaii.
A derivative of the Native American word "moapa," which means "mosquito."
Named for the United Order, a Mormon collectivist doctrine wherein church members gave the church all of their possessions, and the church distributed goods to members as necessary.
Someone thought that a large rock in the area looked like Plymouth Rock.
A local pastor named David Peebles lost his young son to illness. When it was time to name the town, Reverend Peebles suggested that they name it in honor of his little boy.
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This little town is named after the Norse God Sigurd.
Named after a local Native American tribal chief, Toquer.
Did you know what these town names meant?
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