Hell, Arizona
Encyclopedia
The U.S. state of Arizona
has more places with the word "Hell" in their names than any other state of the United States
. In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey listed 60 such place names. These include:
In comparison, Utah
has only 46 such places, and California
only 45.
Marshall Trimble
, Arizona historian, attributes this number of Hells to the climate and terrain of Arizona, with pioneers naming places "Hell" because of their harsh and unforgiving natures. Tom Dollar and Jerry Sieve concur: "Judging from the many instances [of such names] work and travel during Arizona's settlement days must have been hellaciously difficult at times".
Other hypotheses attribute some of the names to simple bawdy humour. Byrd Howell Granger, an Arizona folklorist, puts forward the Hell's Hole in Greenlee county as an example of this, stating that it was named such by local cattlemen, because "if cattle made their way in there, it was plain hell to get them out".
Jim Griffith, of the Southwest Folklore Centre of the University of Arizona
, observes that naming places "Hell" was also a form of braggadocio
: if one could survive in "Hell", one must obviously be a person to be reckoned with.
Arizona has been associated with Hell since the 19th century. In 1860, Senator Benjamin Wade
observed of Arizona that "[i]t is just like Hell — all it lacks is water and good society". One popular song, "Hell In Arizona", describes how the Devil was allotted Arizona, and populated it with several forms of unpleasant animals and plants. The last verse reads:
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
has more places with the word "Hell" in their names than any other state of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey listed 60 such place names. These include:
- two Hell's Gates, one in Coronado National ForestCoronado National ForestThe Coronado National Forest includes an area of about 1.78 million acres spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico....
- Hell's Hip Pocket in Maricopa County
- Hell's Tank near to the Grand CanyonGrand CanyonThe Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
- four separate Hell Canyons, three of which are in Yavapai County
- five Hell's Half AcreHell's Half AcreHell’s Half-Acre, Hell’s Half-acre, or Hell’s Half Acre can refer to:In places:*Hell's Half Acre Lava Field, a basaltic lava field on the Snake River Plain, Idaho, USA...
s, one near PaysonPayson, Arizona- History :Payson considers its founding year as 1882, at which time it was known as Green Valley or Union Park. On March 3, 1884, the town officially established a post office. Postmaster Frank C. Hise recommended that the town be named after a man named Levi Joseph Payson. Senator Payson was very... - Hell's Half Acre Canyon
- Hell Point
- seven Hell's Holes, in Greenlee, Apache, Yavapai, Mohave, and Gila counties
- Hell Hole in Booger Canyon
- Hell Hole Valley
- two Hell's Hole Canyons
- Hell's Hole Creek
- Hellzapoppin' Creek
- Helldive Spring
- Hellgate Mountain
- Hell's Hole Peak
In comparison, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
has only 46 such places, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
only 45.
Marshall Trimble
Marshall Trimble
Marshall Trimble is an American author, singer, community college professor, and Arizona's official state historian. In addition to his position as director of Southwest studies at Scottsdale Community College, he is a popular speaker.-Biography:...
, Arizona historian, attributes this number of Hells to the climate and terrain of Arizona, with pioneers naming places "Hell" because of their harsh and unforgiving natures. Tom Dollar and Jerry Sieve concur: "Judging from the many instances [of such names] work and travel during Arizona's settlement days must have been hellaciously difficult at times".
Other hypotheses attribute some of the names to simple bawdy humour. Byrd Howell Granger, an Arizona folklorist, puts forward the Hell's Hole in Greenlee county as an example of this, stating that it was named such by local cattlemen, because "if cattle made their way in there, it was plain hell to get them out".
Jim Griffith, of the Southwest Folklore Centre of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, observes that naming places "Hell" was also a form of braggadocio
Boasting
Boasting is the act of making an ostentatious speech. It is considered a vice by such major religious groups as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism...
: if one could survive in "Hell", one must obviously be a person to be reckoned with.
Arizona has been associated with Hell since the 19th century. In 1860, Senator Benjamin Wade
Benjamin Wade
Benjamin Franklin "Bluff" Wade was a U.S. lawyer and United States Senator. In the Senate, he was associated with the Radical Republicans of that time.-Early life:...
observed of Arizona that "[i]t is just like Hell — all it lacks is water and good society". One popular song, "Hell In Arizona", describes how the Devil was allotted Arizona, and populated it with several forms of unpleasant animals and plants. The last verse reads:
He fixed the heat at a hundred and 'leven,
And banished forever the moisture from heaven;
And remarked as he heard his furnaces roar
That the heat might reach five hundred more.