 In June 2017 during a land management plan revision, the Nantahala Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest added of proposed wilderness, currently called Ellicott Rock West Extension.Ellicott Rock Wilderness is named for “Ellicott's Rock,” a rock on the east bank of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River on which surveyor Major Andrew Ellicott chiseled a mark in 1811 to determine the border between Georgia and North Carolina.Major Ellicott, a well-respected, sought-after surveyor, astronomer, and mathematician, was hired by the state of Georgia to ground-truth the 35th parallel and settle a border dispute between Georgia and North Carolina.