Cosley was fond of naming the natural features around his territory. The ridge and lake that now carry the name Cosley were of course named eponomously, but misspelled on maps and in literature for decades as “Crossley” before finally being corrected to the present, accurate form in the late 1950s. For the early rangers, the Belly River was simply referred to as ‘Joes’, “because there was only one Joe.” He quite famously named the many lakes in the Belly after his special lady friends, most of whom were the daughters and sisters of ranchers around Cardston, Mountain View, and Babb (then graced with the lovely sobriquet of “Main, Montana”). I first heard of Joe Cosley back around 2002 when I was cooking up fried chicken at Johnson’s of St. Mary, and I was told that all the names referred to Joe’s favorite Canadian prostitutes, which may have some truth to it, but none that I can verify.

Joe probably named Elizabeth Lake for his #1 lady, Elizabeth Webster of Mountain View, but he reportedly told anyone named anything close to Liz that he named it just for her. He also claimed to have named the lake after one of Teddy Roosevelt’s daughters…neither of whom was named Elizabeth. Sue Lake was named for Sue Henkel of “Main"; her relation George Henkel was one of the first rangers in 1911 and their family still ranches the area and owns the “Cattle Baron Supper Club” in downtown Babb. Cosley convinced two different women that Helen Lake was named for them while later confiding to another ranger that “both were a little cooler than Elizabeth.” The ranger wasn’t sure exactly how to take that statement. Another version goes that he named the lakes as he did because “Sue was the coldest. Elizabeth his best. He wasn’t talking about the temperature of the lakes.” Cosley told ranchers in the area that he named Cosley Lake after himself because it “ran endlessly deep just like he did and there was no way anyone could fathom its lavish wonders.”