Hole-in-the-Wall is a common place-name in the West, with the most famous example being the Wyoming hideout associated with outlaws such as Jesse James. One credible explanation for the local name is that gunslinger-turned-homesteader Bob Holliman gave it that name after spending time at the Wyoming place. Holliman was fifty when he settled in nearby Round Valley in 1918 and raised cattle on a small homestead operation. The howling sounds of desert winds led early settlers to call the canyon ahead Banshee Canyon, after the shrieking fairies of the Celtic Highlands. Banshee Canyon is a twisted passage through the rock barrier, and beyond it the wash supports tall Mojave yuccas and gardens of barrel, cholla, and prickly pear cactuses, while an eight-mile one-way trail to the north leads to Mid Hills Campground.