Adopted 17 January 1951 on Jasper Park (North) Sheet.

Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa

"Cow dung Lake" labelled on Arrowsmith's 1859 map of the Provinces of British Columbia & Vancouver Island with portion of the United States & Hudson's Bay Territories. "Buffalo Dung Lake" mentioned several time in Cheadle's journal ( 9 & 10 July 1863); "Cowdung Lake" labelled on Arrowsmith's map Western Portion of British North America showing the Route followed by Lord Milton & Dr. Cheadle, 1863-4. "Yellow Head (or Cow Dung) Lake" identified in James McEvoy's report Yellow Head Pass Route from Edmonton to Tête Jaune Cache, Geological Survey of Canada Annual Report Vol XI, 1898, p.13D.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Probably named by extension from Yellowhead Pass by which the Canadian National Railway crosses the main chain of the Rocky Mountains, or named directly in memory of an early trapper known as Tête Jaune, or "Yellowhead". (letter November 3, 1976 on Ottawa file 83D, vol 2).

Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa

During the winter of 1859, Dr. [now Sir James] Hector, in connection with the Palliser expedition, travelled westward from Edmonton to the Athabasca River and ascended that stream some distance above Henry House. In 1863, Milton & Cheadle followed practically the same route, but continued westward through the Yellow Head Pass and descended the North Thompson River to Kamloops. In 1871 the Dominion Government - with a view to the discovery of a suitable route for the Canadian Pacific Railway through this pass - commenced survey explorations. A final location line, showing no grade higher than 1%, was completed in 1876. AIso in 1871, Dr. Selwyn, then-director of the Geological Survey of Canada, made a journey from Kamloops to Tête Jaune Cache and ascended the Fraser River some distance about Moose Lake. An itinerary of this expedition is given in the Report of Progress for 1871-72. (ibid)

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

"(Yellowhead) Pass was also known as Leather Pass on account of the supplies of dressed moose and caribou skins that were brought over it to outlying posts of the Hudson's Bay Company. Reference has been made to it as Jasper House Pass and Cowdung Pass, the latter name originating likely from the fact that stragglers from the vast buffalo herds roaming the prairies on those early days worked their way up from the Athabaska valley and over the summit to the lake on the other side, which was originally known by that name." (BC-Alberta Boundary Commission Report, Part II, p.19)

Source: included with note