Naming Mount Barcroft

The University of California White Mountain Research Center is located on Mount Barcroft, a 13,040-ft (3975-m) peak on the California White Mountain range. This report describes how the peak got its name honoring Sir Joseph Barcroft of Great Britain. Several publicly available webpages were the sources for this study. On October 16, 1951, the United States Board on Geographic Names approved "Mount Barcroft" as the name for a peak on the California White Mountain range enabling the building of a facility dedicated to high-altitude research. The process of naming, however, was far from smooth. Objections came from the members of the Sierra Club, editors of a local newspaper, and a few citizens of California delaying the approval process. At least six other names had been proposed, three of which were from a Native American Indian language. Those who opposed the name "Mount Barcroft" argued that Barcroft never visited the United States, let alone the White Mountain region, and there was a paucity of Native American Indian names for geographic features in the United States. Despite oppositions and controversies, however, a much-deserved scientist was duly honored by an agency of the United States federal government.