The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1902 by Arthur Oliver Wheeler and Fredrich Michel. Mount Wheeler was named in 1904 for Arthur Oliver Wheeler (1860-1945), a Dominion Land Surveyor who made the first ascent of the peak, and co-founder and first president of the Alpine Club of Canada. The mountain's name was officially adopted September 8, 1932, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.