Naturalist Robert Kennicott, who worked on the trans-Pacific telegraph line in the 1880s, was the original namesake of the Kennicott Valley, including the glacier and river which also bear the name. Oscar Rohn, who worked for the USGS, named the glacier, river and valley in Kennicott’s honor. When Kennecott Mining Company was formed, a mistake was purportedly made on some paperwork and the company name was forever spelled with an "e". Today all the natural features of the area still carry the original spelling, while man-made features associated with the old mining “camp” are spelled Kennecott. When the residents are collectively referred to, the spelling Kennicott is usually (and colloquially) used. 

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