Here Are 8 Fascinating Places In Arizona With The Weirdest Names
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Monica Spencer
Author
One glance at any map of Arizona and you’re bound to come across some might strange names. You’ll find towns named Nothing and Santa Claus or roads called Bucket of Blood or Easy Street. Even some of our natural places have some odd monikers. Today, we’re going to check out a few places that not only have strange names but also weird—or, in some cases, inappropriate—origins.
No, you won’t find a stray barbershop sitting alone in this Mogollon Rim canyon or a wandering a cappella quartet. The canyon, which sits right next to Blue Ridge Reservoir, was named for a sheepherder who sheared his flock and fellow settlers in this area.
There are several stories floating around about the strange origins of this place (located along Interstate 17, between Camp Verde and Black Canyon City). In March 1873, the U.S. Army set out on a hunt for a group of Native Americans they believed killed a group of three Americans. The Army, saying they were looking for an Apache band, instead ambushed a group of Yavapai in the early morning hours, killing 26 to 57 people.
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The name of this lovely place doesn’t sound too pleasant but the name is actually pretty young. In 1950, the Ireys family purchased the property for a ranch and "saw a dead horse lying in the field," later naming it after the strange sight.
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According to the Arizona State Park website, this recreation area received its name after one American settler moved in with the intention to farm. Others in the area thought this was a ridiculous idea, claiming "only a fool would try and farm the place." There’s no word if the man was successful in creating his farm, but his legacy lives on with the lake later being named after him.
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Helens Dome, the tall peak seen in the photo, was named after the creation of Fort Bowie in southeastern Arizona. Local soldiers saw (or, perhaps more accurately, imagined) a similarity between it and an officer’s wife’s bosom. They used a coarser name before it was renamed.
Monkeys near Sonoita in Alamo Canyon sounds downright impossible but I suppose you never know. There are two possibilities for the actual origin of this name but neither actually have anything to do with monkeys. The first comes from the reputation of a not so bright farmhand and local cowboys starting up a rumor that the rancher was training a monkey for the job. The other more likely origin is that the area was named after Captain Juan Mateo Manje who traveled with Father Eusebio Kino in 1691 and American settlers later mispronounced Manje’s name.
This tiny community is way prettier than the name. Sitting about 20 miles west of Prescott, Skull Valley was named for the number of human remains found scattered in the area following deaths in battles years earlier.
Believe it or not, SP Crater’s actual name is not only too inappropriate to say in polite company but it also sounds ridiculous! So we’ll just describe the name’s origins. Imagine someone rushing to use the toilet (or chamber pot or outhouse) but not quite making it and leaving a smelly trail instead. That is how early settlers interpreted the northern Arizona cinder cone with its characteristic trail of lava appearing to ooze out. Some sources claim "SP" stands for Stink Pot but the "s" is a little more colorful.
What are some other places that have awfully strange names or origins? We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!
If you want to read about the strange origins of more Arizona places, be sure to read Most People Don’t Know The Meaning Behind These 10 Arizona Towns.
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