Initially the settlement was called Point Elliott, the name given the location by the Wilkes Expedition in 1841.

The Wilkes Expedition passed by this atoll on 9 September 1839.

The Wilkes Expedition played a major role in development of 19th-century science, particularly in the growth of the American scientific establishment.

The island was named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842.

They may also have been named after a Mr. Belle, a crewman with the Wilkes Expedition in 1841.

Pickering, of the Wilkes Expedition, is a well of science, perhaps the most erudite naturalist here.

In connection with Haldeman he is working up the articulates of the Wilkes Expedition.

In 1841 the Wilkes Expedition named the river "Barrier River".

There are four plants in the garden that are believed to be directly related to the original Wilkes Expedition.

The Wilkes Expedition charted the place as Kwil-sid in 1841.