By Kristy McCaffrey
Arizona has its share of place names that might make people
cringe today, dating back to a colorful past and regional biases.
Throughout the state there are at least 15 geographic
features whose names include "Negro." This was actually an
improvement that took place in 1963 when the U.S. Geological Survey updated
designations that contained a different n-word. These places include Negro Ben
Peak, Negro Ben Spring and Negro Flat. But not every name is linked to racist
terminology—Cerro
Negro, a summit in Pima County, gets its name from the Spanish words meaning
"black hill."
Today, the word "squaw" is considered offensive. A
rather prominent site in the Phoenix area, Squaw Peak, was renamed Piestewa
Peak in 2003, after the first Native American woman to die in combat in the
U.S. military in Iraq. But there are still at least a dozen features in the
state with the word "squaw" in the name—two Squaw Buttes, two Squaw Creeks and six other Squaw Peaks.
Piestewa Peak |
The Chinaman Trail, a 2.6-mile hiking trail in the Coronado
National Forest, got its name because of the Chinese laborers who constructed
it around the turn of the century. There are two China Peaks in Arizona. In
Cochise County, Chinese people from California financed a mine in the area; in
Graham County, chinaberry trees grew in the vicinity.
One of the China Peaks |
Skull Valley, near Prescott, got its name after a battle
between Yavapai and Maricopa Indians. The dead were never removed. When
settlers moved in, they were forced to build on land littered with the remains
of human skulls.
Bloody Basin, north of Phoenix, speaks to a deadly skirmish
as well, but the name more likely originated when a herd of sheep crossed a
bridge that gave way, sending the animals tumbling to the rocks below.
Bloody Basin |
The most provocative name, however, is Helen's Dome in
southeastern Arizona. Designated for a hill that lies within sight of Fort
Bowie—and is shaped
like a breast—it
was reportedly christened after the well-endowed wife of an officer in
residence at the fort. The original name was Helen's Tit, but was later
softened to Helen's Dome.
Helen's Dome |
While many place names have been changed, they are so numerous—with many in remote locations—that the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names considers name changes only when a petition is submitted.
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6 comments:
Love Arizona! It's so ripe with interesting history. Thank you for sharing, Kristy!
We have our share of stories, that's for sure!
Thanks for sharing about the interesting history and names, Kristy!
Thanks, Shanna! Always fun to go digging in history.
And I thought the Grand Tetons had a racy name (big breasts). Thanks Kristy, great post.
LOL Andrea. I never realized that about the Tetons, but if a man's doing the naming then I'm not surprised.
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