Cheviot Mountain was named by Norman Muschamp "Robert" Thornton, a British Mining engineer who evaluated the coal claims in the area that was to become Mountain Park in 1910. The mountains reminded him of the Cheviot Hills in northern England, though on a much smaller scale. Not the highest mountain in the area, Cheviot Mountains's location and distinctive shape make it stand out among the surrounding peaks. Its earliest probable reference is by the Earl of Southesk who on September 1, 1859, camped near Mountain Park, "in deep glen that intersected our course, a grand rocky peak could be seen crowning the end of the ravine we had chosen for our halting place." The area is subject to rapid changes in weather and when residents of Mountain Park and Cadomin saw snow blowing off the top of the mountain it meant that a chinook or, "Cadomin Wind" was on its way. [Exploring the Historic Coal Branch; Daniel Kyba and Jane Ross]