The mountain was named for Robert Morrison, a merchant in the town of Benton, who was killed near Convict Lake on September 23, 1871, while he was acting as member of a posse pursuing escaped convicts from the Nevada State Penitentiary.

[7] Sources state that Norman Clyde climbed to the peak on June 22, 1928, and that John Mendendhall also reached the summit in 1928 but the month of his ascent is not documented.

[5] Due to its imposing north face, Mount Morrison is also nicknamed the "Eiger of the Sierra.

On April 14–15, 2023, climbers Jack Cramer, Tad McCrea, and Vitaliy Musiyenko made the first ascent of Troll Toll (600m, 16 pitches, WI3 M5/6) on Mount Morrison's northeast face.

[11] Highly tilted and faulted metasedimentary rocks are exposed on Mount Morrison.