One of the more entertaining things about working on paleontology of the American West is that you come across a lot of colorful names, in large part a legacy of work done in the region when it was still a frontier. Sometimes quarries or formations are named after something found there (Shark Tooth Hill), sometimes they bear an Indian (Minnechaduza) or Spanish (Caliente) name, sometimes they're ludicrous hyperboles (Mount Eden), and sometimes they're a simple description of the area (Dry Canyon). They are strangely - if unintentionally - poetic, reflecting either the hope (Drinkwater) or despair (Massacre Lake) of whichever settler first stumbled across it. I've come across several in the last few days while doing background research for my project; here are some of my favorites:
Etchegoin
Pinole
Lava Mountain
Black Hawk
Siesta
Nettle Springs
Coal Valley
Fish Lake
Comanche Point
Iron Canyon
Virgin Valley
Skull Springs
Sucker Creek
Hidden Treasure Spring
Boron
Hackberry
Woody
Pyramid Hill
Uptegrove
ZX Bar
Bear Tooth
Snake Creek
Sand Canyon
High Rock Lake
Railroad Canyon
Flint Creek
Deep River
Sheep Creek
Split Rock
Agate Springs
Rosebud
Mollie Gulch
Boulder Valley
Ash Hollow
Six Mile Creek
Horned Toad
Bedrock Springs
Chanac
Esmeralda
Vaqueros
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