The Biblical name Moab refers to an area of
land located on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Some historians believe
the city in Utah came to use this name because of William Pierce, the first
postmaster, believing that the biblical Moab and this part of Utah were both
"the far country". However, others believe the name has Paiute
origins, referring to the word "moapa" meaning mosquito. Some of the
area's early residents attempted to change the city's name because in the
Christian Bible, Moabites are demeaned as incestuous and idolatrous. One
petition in 1890 had 59 signatures and requested a
