Van Cott said the name went through some controversy, but still remains unchanged. According to Henderson, the landmark is one of those names that preceded the establishment of the park and has stuck. Like Capitol Reef, Canyonlands has its share of landmarks bearing the names of early settlers or those who contributed to the history of the park. Musselman Arch in the Island in the Sky section of the park was named for the late Ross Musselman, who operated a tour business out of Moab in the 1950s. Chesler Park in the Needles section was named for the stockman who ran cattle and sheep there in the early 1900s.
Place names are somewhat subjective.
Names used locally might not be the official place names, Henderson said. Kodachrome Basin State Park is full of unofficial names. In Kodachrome a visitor will find Sherlock Homes Spire, Fred Flintstone, The Hamburger and The White Buffalo. Most names in the park stem from old timers who have run cattle in or near the park, said Tom Shakespeare, who hails from the nearby town of Tropic and has worked at Kodachrome for the last 24 years. According to him, the landform is clearly a phallic symbol.