A Frequent Question

“Wait,” we hear you say, “is it spelled Capital Reef or Capitol Reef?” Don’t worry, most people wonder the same thing. It’s spelled C-A-P-I-T-O-L Reef. With an O.

“Okay. But Why?”

Good question. To explain, let’s look at the definitions of both “capital” and “capitol.”

Capital –
1. of a letter: of or conforming to the series A, B, C, etc. rather than a, b, c, etc.
2. being the seat of government: London is the capital city of England.
3. chief in importance or influence
4. excellent: As in “a capital book”

Capitol –
1. a building in which a state legislative body meets or a group of buildings in which the functions of state government are carried out
2. the dome of the state capitol

“Hold up, that still doesn’t make that much sense,” again we hear you say. “There are no federal, state, or even local government buildings at this national park. Wouldn’t it be better if it was Capital Reef? With an A? At least that means ‘excellent.’ What’s going on?”

And you would be right. But allow us to make our rebuttal with these two images:

Photo by Michael via unsplash.com

Photo by LJ Coates via unsplash.com

You see, it turns out that Capitol Reef is named for its geology. The many white, sandstone domes in the park are reminiscent of the domes that appear on most capitol buildings. When the 19th-century explorers came to this region, that was the closest thing that they had to compare these geological features to.

“I Guess That Makes Sense. But What’s The Word ‘Reef’ Doing In There?”

Right. Another excellent question. This one is easier. “Reef” is just an antiquated term for any rocky, impassable barrier. Similar to our modern usage of the word, which is now almost exclusively used for marine barriers. So to put it all together, “Capitol Reef” is just a collection of domed rocks that you can’t travel across.

“Huh. Cool. But I CAN Travel Across Capitol Reef, Right?”

Yes! With current road building technology, we have indeed made these domed rocks passable. Which means you can come visit and see these amazing domes for yourself!