Altonah (Duchesne) is in the upper benchland country adjacent to the south central Uinta Mountains. Altamont is three miles south and Mountain Home is five miles west southwest. The site was originally settled in 1906, but was named Alexander after Robert and Milton Alexander who were early settlers. After the townsite was finalized in January 1912, its name was changed to Altonah which refers to its comparative altitude. There was also an early temporary name variant-Queen City meaning queen of all it surveyed.