Beehive Geyser
(at Old Faithful on Geyser Hill)Named in 1870 by the Washburn Expedition. Named because the cone of the geyser was thought to resemble a beehive.(Haines used as primary source.)
Bridge Bay
(bay of northwestern shore of Yellowstone Lake)Named in 1871 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for the natural bridge over a tributary of Bridge Creek.
Carrington Island
(in Yellowstone Lake)Date unknown (between 1871-1885). Named by the United States Geological Survey for Campbell Carrington, a zoologist with the U.S.G.S.
Castle Geyser
(at Old Faithful, in upper geyser basin)Named by the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Named for the medieval castle-like appearance of its vast cone (Haines used as primary source).
Craig Pass
(mountain pass connecting West Thumb to Old Faithful, crossing the Continental Divide twice)Named in 1891. Named for the maiden name of Mrs. Ida Craig Wilcox, who was the first tourist to cross the pass.
Dot Island
(in Yellowstone Lake, toward the center)Named by the United States Geological Survey (date not given--1871-1885). Named because it appears like a dot on a map.
Frank Island
(in Yellowstone Lake)Named in 1871 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for a brother of Henry W. Elliott, a member of the Hayden Expedition of 1871. In 1875, the island was renamed Belknap Island by members of Interior Secretary Belknap's party, who passed through the park that year. The original name has stuck, however.
Giant Geyser
(in the Old Faithful area, a bit further up from Geyser Hill)Named by the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Walter Trumbull, a member of the expedition, noted: "We thought it deserved to be called 'The Giant,' as it discharged more water than any other geyser which we saw in operation."(Haines used as primary source).
Giantess Geyser
(in the Old Faithful area)Named by the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Seen the same day as Giant Geyser. Not as powerful, but apparently more beautiful, the Washburn expedition called it by its current name.(Haines used as primary source).
Grand Geyser
(at Old Faithful, on the boardwalk further past Castle Geyser)Named by the United States Geological Survey in 1871. Named for the grandness of the geyser. Ferdinand V. Hayden says this of the naming, "We called this the Grand Geyser, for its power seemed greater than any other of which we obtained any knowledge in the valley." Grand Geyser is the largest predictable geyser in the world.(Haines used as primary source).
Grotto Geyser
(at Old Faithful, further down, near Giant Geyser)Named by the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Named for its Grotto appearance in the cone of "winding apertures penetrating the sinter."(Haines used as primary source).
Hayden Valley
(central Yellowstone between Fishing Bridge and Canyon Village)Named in 1878 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden, famous geologist, who led the first government expedition into the Yellowstone region, and who helped successfully lobby for it to be a national park.(A link to a short biography of Hayden will be made available as ready).
Jones Pass
(in eastern Yellowstone, cutting through the Absaroka Range primarily between Mt. Chittenden and Silver Tip Peak)Named in 1880 by Philetus Norris. Named for Captain W. A. Jones who discovered and passed through the pass in 1873.
Kingman Pass
northern Yellowstone beginning with the Golden Gate of the North Entrance)Named in 1883 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for Lieutenant D.C. Kingman of the Corps of Engineers who built the first road through the pass.
Mammoth Hot Springs
(in northern Yellowstone, south of the North Entrance)Sources unclear as to when final form of the name took root--likely the 1870s. Named for the impressive size of the hot springs. The area had been named at various times, "White Hot Springs," "White Mountain Hot Springs," "Great Springs," "Sulphur Mountain," and as it was called by the Hayden and Barlow-Heap expeditions of 1871, "Soda Mountain on the Gardner."(Haines used as primary source).
Mary Bay
(bay on northeastern corner of Yellowstone Lake)Named in 1871 by the United States Geological Survey. Named by Henry W. Elliott for Mary Force.
Molly Island
(in Yellowstone Lake)Named between 1871-1885 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for the wife of Henry Gannett.
Norris Geyser Basin
(northern Yellowstone, north of Madison junction, west of Canyon village, and south of Mammoth Hot Springs)Named by Philetus Norris around 1880. Named for himself, who first described it and opened the basin to tourists. Norris named many things after himself, many of which later were renamed. The first known people to see the basin, however, were E.S. Topping and Dwight Woodrfuff in 1872. The next day, Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Stone visited the geyser basin. Mrs. Stone was the first American woman to visit the park.(a link to a short biography on Norris will be made available as ready).
Norris Pass
(southern Yellowstone, south of Craig Pass and north of Shoshone Lake)Named by Philetus Norris in 1879 for himself.(a link to a short biography on Norris will be made available as ready).
Old Faithful Geyser
(west central Yellowstone)Named in 1870 by the Washburn Expedition, specifically by Henry Dana Washburn. Named for the regular (though never precise) eruptions of the geyser.(Haines used as primary source).
Peale Island
(in Yellowstone Lake)Named in 1878 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for Dr. A. C. Peale, who authored a report on thermal springs in Hayden's report of 1878.
Pelican Roost
(island in Yellowstone Lake)Named between 1871 and 1885 by the United States Geological Survey. Named because it is a common pelican roost.
Raynolds Pass
(to the west of Yellowstone, north of Henry Lake, connecting valley of Henry Fork with that of the Madison)Name date not given (at or after 1860). Named for Captain W. F. Raynolds, who nearly made his way into Yellowstone in 1860, but who did pass his expedition through this pass that year.
Stevenson Island
(largest island in Yellowstone Lake, in the northern end of that lake)Named in 1871 by the United States Geological Survey. Named for James Stevenson, Ferdinand Hayden's chief assistant during that exploration and long connected with the U.S.G.S.(a link to a short biography on Stevenson will be made available as ready.)
Targhee Pass
(southwest of Yellowstone, east of Henry Lake, connecting the valley of Henry Fork with that of the Madison). Origin of the name obscure. Apparently named before the Hayden Expedition of 1872, and appears in Hayden's report as "Targhee," "Tyghee," and "Tahgee." It was thought by Hayden that it was for an old Indian chief, but he notes that it was an old Bannock chief in one section, and says elsewhere he believed it was a Shoshone chief. It may have been Bannock as there was known to be a chief of the past called "Ti-gee."
Thumb Bay
(southern Yellowstone Lake, extending west)Named between 1871-1885 by the United States Geological Survey, likely earlier. Named for the notion that Yellowstone Lake appears shaped like a hand with this bay being the thumb.