Curious Places

We drive a long way on vacation at times. Most of the time the road and place signs we see are nothing memorable and we just keep on driving without much thought about what we’re reading. Every once in a while, we pass a place that has such an eye-catching name that we all remember it and may giggle about it or puzzle about its origins for months.  Here are a few of our most notable “interesting” road and place names:

1. Bucket of Blood Street, Holbrook, Arizona: We discovered this gem when driving from Tucson, AZ to Chaco Culture National Historic Park (more about that in a future post!). This disturbing street turns out to be named after a saloon that once stood there. In 1886, a particularly violent and gruesome gun fight resulted in many deaths, and Terril Cottage Saloon changed its name to Bucket of Blood Saloon. It’s not there any longer but the street bearing it’s name is.  Thanks to Atlas Obscura for solving this mystery for us. Learn more here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bucket-of-blood-street
2. Fangboner Road, Fremont, Ohio:  I have not been able to locate the origin of this delightful name.  The adults in the van are the only ones who seem to be entertained by this one, but it won’t be long until our kids catch onto why their parents are holding back laughter every trip to Chicago. Now you have a little glimpse into how mature and sophisticated we are at Respect the Van.  All kidding aside though, the Ohio Turnpike is pretty boring in this section.  We take whatever amusement we can get here, especially on long, straight toll roads.  
3. Starvation Road, Duchesne, Utah: This grim and depressing road leads to a state park of the same name.  Apparently some settlers there fell on hard times in the late 1800s, and the park and road were named in honor of their experiences .  While it’s a lovely part of the state, it’s a one of the least appealing state park names I’ve ever seen.  According to Utah State Parks website, it’s a popular place to camp and fish.  Thanks, Utah, but we’ll keep driving past this one.

What place names make you giggle or scratch your head?