Talk:List of Mormon place names

development

I started this article following some discussion at Talk:List of biblical place names in North America, where i commented about Lehi, Nehi, Manti, St. George, South Jordon, and various other place names in Utah that seemed Mormon and/or biblical. I complained there was not coverage of Mormon places, then came here and started this list-article with just a few entries. There are books about place names in Utah and Idaho and probably every other state, which seem like fairly definitive, reliable sources. So far I found my way to a Salt Lake City Tribune newspaper article listing a bunch of items from the Utah book, and a Museum of Idaho page partly drawing on the Idaho book but also crowd-sourced. More solid reporting by any interested editor would be appreciated! --Doncram (talk) 22:20, 29 July 2019 (UTC)

Not Mormon place names

Ophir

• Ophir, Utah in Tooele County, Utah "A biblical area rich in gold, it was actually named by miners instead of Mormon settlers. (Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ophir, in Tooele County, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. Ophir was a town until 2016, when the town voted to disincorporate." Van Atta points out it was named by miners for a mining area in Israel / the Old Testament. There are other Ophirs too, including Ophir, Colorado. --Doncram (talk) 23:52, 29 July 2019 (UTC)

Mormon place names that didn't stick

These are probably not good for mainspace presentation, but maybe it is helpful to record them here, partly to record why they are not included in the list. --Doncram (talk) 22:20, 29 July 2019 (UTC)

Raymond

• Raymond. Victor, Idaho, try Raymond, Idaho. From Museum of Idaho source: "Victor: Another cool story. The town was previously known as Fox, then Raymond, after the first LDS Church bishop in the area, David Raymond Sinclair. It was later named in honor of George Victor Sherwood, a courageous mail carrier whose route took him on treacherous terrain between Raymond and Jackson, Wyoming. For a time, his route was made even more dangerous because of exceptionally poor relations between the settlers and local tribes."

Sodom

• Sodom, try Sodom, Utah. From SLC Trib article "did you know Brigham City first was called Youngsville, and Goshen was Sodom?"

Youngsville

• Youngsville. From SLC Tribune article: "Brigham City • Honors Brigham Young. For two years before adopting that name, the Box Elder County city was called Youngsville. Brigham Young, second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.""

Places named by Mormons but for Old Testament or other locations or people, not named after Mormon places or persons

Enoch

• Enoch, Utah, in Iron County, Utah Davidson: "Named for a biblical prophet whose city became so righteous that it was lifted to heaven. It could give people an excuse for failing to know where Enoch is. Hint: It’s in southwestern Utah, just north of Cedar City." Named for Enoch (ancestor of Noah) in the Old Testament? See Enoch (disambiguation) for others. --Doncram (talk) 00:18, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

Ephraim

• Ephraim, Utah, in Sanpete County. Davidson: "Honors one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Original residents hoped to build another settlement on the other side of the San Pitch River and call it Manassa, to honor both sons of the ancient prophet Joseph (the man with the “amazing technicolor dreamcoat”)." Hmm, is it named for Tribe of Ephraim or for Ephraim, second son of Joseph? --Doncram (talk) 00:18, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

Hurricane

• Hurricane, Utah, in Washington County, Utah. Davidson: "Technically not a Mormon name. But it came from church apostle Erastus Snow’s comments about the area’s heavy wind."

Jordan

• South Jordan, Utah and West Jordan, Utah. Davidson: "Named for the nearby Jordan River named in turn after the river where Jesus was baptized. (Oded Balilty | The Associated Press) In this Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, photo, Christian Orthodox pilgrims immerse themselves in the waters of the River Jordan during a baptism ceremony as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at Qasr el Yahud, the spot where John the Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus, near the West Bank town of Jericho." Also, Van Atta is better about describing how the river in Utah, which ends into Great Salt Lake looked a lot like the Jordan River in Palestine which ends in the Sea of Galilee. --Doncram (talk) 00:08, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

Moab

• Moab, Utah, asserted by some to be named for "the land beyond the Jordan". Asserted by others to derive from Paiute word for mosquito, "moapa", per Davidson. There are the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians and other usages for the word moapa. --Doncram (talk) 01:32, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

Salem

• Salem, Utah Davidson: "It is a biblical name for Jerusalem, and some say that is why it was chosen. Others say the settler Lyman Curtis named it for his birthplace of Salem, Mass."

Sodom

• Sodom, Utah, later Goshen, Utah. Presumably about Sodom as in Sodom and Gomorrah, mentioned in Old Testament, New Testament, the Koran, other religious works. Davidson: "did you know Brigham City first was called Youngsville, and Goshen was Sodom?"

starred ones?

A non-logged in editor contributed more places to this list, and indicated something about many of the already-present or new items by asterisking them. With note in lede that "Those starred are from the Book of Mormon, or modern revelation." What exactly does that mean, in simple words? I am not sure that this characteristic, whatever is meant, is identified correctly by asterisk presence or absence. If this is about whether the placename is from a modern historical person like a stake president, vs. whether it is named after a place covered in the Book of Mormon, then it has not been implemented completely/correctly. Like I think there are some Book of Mormon places not asterisked. If it cannot be defined clearly and reliably identified from sources, then I think this is not to be presented, i.e. should be dropped. Or can it be saved?--Doncram (talk) 23:11, 16 August 2019 (UTC)