 The county seat was decided by county vote in November 5, 1914 election.The new county was named for its county seat, which in turn was called for the Duchesne River which flows southward and then eastward through the central part of the county near the city.Its name is of uncertain origin, but the holding theory is that it was named by fur trappers in the 1820s in honor of Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne, founder of the School of the Sacred Heart near St. Louis, Missouri, although other theories as to the name exist.