How These Tiny Utah Towns Got Their CRAZY Names!
Utah has some BIZARRE names, that are TOTALLY hard to pronounce and spell!
Do you ever wonder where these names come from?! Some of these places have some REALLY AWESOME stories as to where the names came from!
Tooele:
Many don't know this, but in the 1853, Tooele was actually spelled Tuilla. A MUCH easier spelling for the pronunciation! Some believe Tooele was named after Goshute Chief Tuilla, while others believe it's just a completely made up word. I guess maybe we'll never know!
Toquerville:
Again, this one has Native American Roots! Toquerville was named after Piute Chief Toquer! These town names are suddenly way cooler than we ever even knew!
Duchesne:
This is another town name that we're not SUPER clear on... But there are TWO possible reasons! There was once a French fur trapper named Du Chasne, who worked in the area in the 1830s! The other possible reason is the Ute Word Ute word "doo shane" means Dark Canyon!
Escalante:
Escalante has a bizarre name... Mostly because I regularly pronounce it TWO separate ways, Es-Kuh-Lant or Es-Kuh-Lanty. However the name comes from a Franciscan missionary, Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, who was part of an expedition to Southern Utah in 1776.
Kanab:
Kanab is known as "Little Hollywood" for all the Westerns that were filmed in the area! But what about the ACTUAL name Kanab? Well Kanab is actually a Piute word for "place of willows." These willows grow along the banks of the creek in Kanab.
Kanosh:
Ever been to Kanosh? Me neither! But the name comes from Ute Chief Kanosh. He started a farm in the area in the 1800's and was very friendly to the mormon settlers. He invited them to form a town, and eventually converted to the LDS church!
Koosharem:
I've actually been to Koosharem before. It's TINY and located really close to Fish Lake. But what does Koosharem even mean? Well, it's a Piute word for a "clover". Lots of clovers grow in the meadows there!
La Verkin:
La Verkin is ANOTHER big mystery as to where the name came from, BUT we do have some ideas! One idea is that La Verkin was originally from the Spanish word "La Virgen", as it's located on the Virgin River. Another idea is that there was a map with the spelling mistake of "LeaverSkin," which eventually just morphed into La Verkin.
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