Montana’s capital is Helena
Name:
Created out of the Idaho Territory in 1864, the name Montana is a derivation of the Latin word “montaanus” which means mountainous.
Nevada’s is Carson City
Name:
This state was named after the mountain range in the west.
From out at sea Spanish sailors gazed upon the beautiful mountain ranges of California. They called these mountains Sierra Nevada (snowy range). Sierra Nevada seemed an apt name for the new territory that was being carved out of Utah, but when the deed was done in 1859, the name of this new territory had been shortened to Nevada.

Colorado’s is Denver
Name:
Soon after gold was discovered near Denver, the region around Pikes Peak became the Colorado Territory. Other names, such as Colona, Jefferson, Osage and even Idaho, were suggested and discarded in favor of Colorado, Spanish for “red” in reference to the color of the water of the Colorado River.
Wyoming’s is Cheyenne
Name:
Legh Freeman, publisher of The Frontier Index in Kearny, Nebraska, claimed that it was he who first suggested Wyoming as the name for this portion of the Dakota Territory. Wyoming comes from the Dakota “mscheweamiing” meaning “at the big flats” or “large plains.”
Utah’s is Salt Lake City
Name:
The Navajo Indians were referred to by the Apache as “Yuttahih” meaning “one that is higher up.” Europeans misunderstood this term to refer to the tribes living higher in the mountains than the Navajo, the Utes, and the territory was called the land of the Utes, Utah.
Idaho’s is Boise
Name:
Idaho was first presented to Congress, by mining lobbyist George M. Willing, as a name for a new territory around Pike’s Peak. He told Congress that Idaho was a Shoshone Indian word that meant “Gem of the Mountains.” Indian names were popular at the time and by the end of 1860, Congress was set to name the Pike’s Peak region Idaho. Just as Congress was about to bestow this name, it came to their attention that Idaho was not an Indian name, but a name made up by Mr. Willing. In reaction, Congress designated the territory Colorado instead of Idaho.
In the meantime, the word Idaho had come into common usage. One of the mining towns in Colorado Territory had been named Idaho Springs. A Columbia River steamboat launched on June 9, 1860, for service between the Cascades and The Dalles, was named “Idaho.” Gold was found in Nez Perce country, and these discoveries became known as the “Idaho Mines,” perhaps after the steamboat used in the gold rush up the Columbia River. Though Idaho had been discarded as a name for the new territory, the name became well known from Washington D.C. to the Pacific northwest.
In 1863, Congress created a new territory for the Idaho Mines and the name Idaho seemed like a natural.