President-elect Donald Trump is reigniting the debate over the name of North America’s tallest mountain range.
Trump vouched his support during a speech Sunday in Phoenix for changing the name of Mount Denali in Alaska back to honor former President William McKinley, who was born in Ohio and assassinated early in his second term.
The William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum is in Canton.
The mountain range unofficially was named after McKinley in 1896, and officially by the federal government in 1917.
The name found its way into legislation in 1917. In the years that followed, controversy arose regarding changing the name to Denali, which aligned with Alaskan culture. The name was officially changed during President Barack Obama’s term to Denali in 2015.
“They took his name off Mount McKinley,” Trump said in a speech to supporters in Phoenix, according to reporting from Reuters. “He was a great president,” Trump said, adding his administration will “bring back the name of Mount McKinley because I think he deserves it.”
Controversy over the Mount McKinley name dates back to the park’s origin
Before the national park was officially formed, two appeals were made for the mountain to be called Denali. Athabaskan translations for the word include “the tall one,” “the Great one” and “mountain-big.” The appeals were made by Charles Sheldon and Belmore Brown, both of whom were advocates for the park’s creation.
Thomas Riggs of the Alaskan Engineering Commission disagreed.
“I don’t like the name of Denali. It is not descriptive. Everybody in the United States knows of Mt. McKinley and the various efforts made to climb it,” according to the National Park Service website. “In consequence, both Mr. Yard and I think that the name McKinley should stick.”
After this, the name Mount McKinley was signed into law. Then, in 1975, the state of Alaska made a petition to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the name. The Ohio congressional delegation blocked legal efforts to change it for the years to follow.
In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed, changing the name of the park to Denali National Park and Preserve. Mount McKinley continued to be the official name recognized nationally.
The official name would not be changed until 2015, when an order signed by Obama officially changed it. The order stated McKinley had no “significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.”
Representatives speak out on Trump’s remarks
Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski detested Trump’s proposed name change. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Murkowski voiced her support for the name of Mount Denali.
“There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali − the Great One,” she said.
A call seeking comment was left Monday morning from U.S. representatives in Ohio’s 6th, 7th and 13th districts.
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Publish date : 2024-12-23 05:38:00
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