Welcome to the Wild West, where town names often get spawned from jokes, misunderstandings, vague descriptions, and cultural melting pots. Colorado is no exception, and given the many tiny towns dotting the state’s mountains and plains, encountering a name that results in a double-take isn’t rare.

Here are 14 bizarrely named towns in Colorado:

1. Arriba

A word that means “above others” in Spanish, this town name would make more sense if the town wasn’t found in one of the lower regions of the Centennial State in the Eastern Plains. It’s located at an elevation just shy of Denver at 5,239 feet. The average elevation of the state is 6,800 feet.

2. Bow Mar

If this town name seems like two random syllables smashed together, it’s because that’s pretty much the case. Bow Mar, found in the Denver metro area, is named for two nearby lakes – Bowles Lake and Marston Lake – but only the first syllable of each spot was used.

3. Breckenridge

This town is named after a person, as many towns are, however, the reason behind the current spelling is quite interesting. Breckenridge first adopted the name that’s now in use upon its founding in 1859, said to come from the name of a local prospector. That said, a year later, the town made the switch to ‘Breckinridge’ – with a now-absent ‘i’ instead of its second ‘e’ –  to pay homage to James Buchanan’s Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge. The move was made in hopes that the tribute would fast-track Breck getting a post office – and it worked, ultimately making Breckinridge a remote economic hub in the American West. Nothing last forever, though, and Breckinridge again adopted its ‘triple-e’ spelling after Vice President Breckinridge betrayed the nation by accepting a role as a brigadier general for the Confederate States in the Civil War. By late 1861, the original Breckenridge name was put to use once again. Read more about this saga here.

4. Castle Rock

If you’ve driven past this town, the reason for this unique name is no secret – there’s a massive fortress-shaped butte right where I-25 cuts through this spot. This butte has long-served as an important landmark for travelers.

5. Del Norte

This tiny town in the San Luis Valley is named after the Rio Grande del Norte, translating to ‘large river of the north.’ Contrary to how some say the name of this spot, it’s pronounced “Del Nort,” not “Del Norté.”

6. Dinosaur

This town was named after the discovery of several large dinosaur species still roaming the surrounding mountains, including the Brontosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Just kidding… the name of this town was adopted in 1966 to capitalize on the town’s proximity to Dinosaur National Monument, a nearby national monument that is split between Colorado and Utah. The park is known for containing more than 800 paleontological sites.

7. Fairplay

A name implying justice, Fairplay was named by settlers who were angry that early prospectors got the best claims. When this town was founded, the settlers envisioned doing things differently, in a more “fair” way.

8. Leadville

Once the proposed capital of Colorado, Leadville is known for its rich history of silver mining. This town was once called “Cloud City,” and at a different time, “Slabtown,” but the name was changed to Leadville when a post office was built. The reasoning behind the lead-based name in a silver mining town? Lead ore was found in the area.

9. Manzanola

A unique name you might encounter on the drive through Otero County, Manzanola is derived from the words “manzana roja,” which translates to “red apple” in Spanish. Word on the street is that this name comes from an orchard that was once close to the town.

10. Nederland

If you think “Nederland” seems like it could have something to do with the country of Netherland, you’re onto something. A key mine in the area was sold to Mining Company Nederland from the Netherlands in 1873. That’s not where the story ends though. “Nederland” or “Netherlands” means “low land” in dutch. The town of Nederland is located significantly lower than the Caribou Mine that was purchased by the Dutch mining company, thus how this town got its official name. Extractions from the mine where often brought to the lower town of Nederland for processing due to dangerous and frigid weather on the mountain. Oddly, Nederland isn’t very ‘low’ compared to much of the state – found at an elevation of 8,228 feet.

11. Rico

This tiny southwestern Colorado town isn’t named after some dude named Rico. It’s another Colorado town name that’s derived from a Spanish word. In Spanish, “rico” means “rich.” A boom and bust town that saw mining-related highs and lows from the 1870s until the 1970s, this town was named by an optimist. Fewer than 300 still occupy the town.

12. No Name

Oddly the most interesting and boring name on this list at the same time, No Name is actually named for something, not just a lapse of creativity. It’s named for the nearby No Name Creek and No Name Canyon, both of which I imagine were indeed named during a lapse of creativity.

13. Stoner

While nowadays Colorado might be known for a different type of ‘stoner,’ that’s not where this Montezuma County town gets its name. This one comes from the nearby Stoner Creek, which is named for its rocky nature.

14. Buena Vista

Perhaps the town name that inspires the most debate when it comes to pronunciation, any Spanish speaker would look at this name and recognize it was translating to ‘good view’ – which is fitting, but not the whole story. The name was suggested by a woman named Alsina “Sadie” Deerhammer and ultimately voted for approval in 1879. That said, Deerhammer also suggested a pronunciation of ‘beau’ (like in ‘beauty’) for the first syllable opposed to the traditional Spanish pronunciation as a means of paying homage to both the Spanish culture and the local language of English. This pronunciation stuck and is still used by locals today – though some prefer to shorten it to ‘beau-nee’ or BV.

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