MISSOURI — A Missouri conservation area named “Monkey Mountain” received its name from early settlers after the Lewis and Clark expedition.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the area located northwest of St. Joseph, Missouri in Holt County is available to the public with various wildlife species.

MDOC said the area was called “Monkey Mountain” because early settlers considered the river’s bluffs too steep for even monkeys to climb.

When settlement of the area began in 1836, about 20 percent of the county was primarily steep slopes with some ridged and rounded tops.