They were named by Almon Thompson in honor of Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

[2] He coined the term "laccolite" (now laccolith) to describe the characteristic shapes of some of the igneous intrusions that core the mountains.

This continues to be a unique area of study for geologists who focus on intrusion emplacement processes, since the near-horizontal sedimentary strata are clearly folded to accommodate the magma.

The Henry Mountains were sparsely occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years before the arrival of the first White settlers.

By the 1930s, the Henrys were heavily overgrazed by sheep, causing erosion and damaging native vegetation.

[12] This study, published in 2015, also showed the Henry Mountains bison to be free of brucellosis, a bacterial disease that was imported with non-native domestic cattle to North America.

The majority of free-ranging American Bison (approximately 90%) are found in Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories,[14][15] with additional populations in Alaska transplanted from Canada in 2008.

Utah wildlife biologists set a population objective of 325 bison by 2012 for the Henry Mountain herd.

To achieve this objective and increase overall genetic diversity, breeding animals are transplanted to other locations from the herd.

[17] The new group joined 14 animals previously released in August, 2008 from a private herd on the nearby Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation.

[18] In addition, special licenses are issued annually to hunt the animals and help reduce the excess population.

Long Term Vegetation Change in Utah's Henry Mountains: A Study in Repeat Photography.