This continent’s tallest mountain is having a full circle moment. Once called Denali by many of the area’s Native people including the Koyukon Athabascan, it was renamed Mount McKinley in 1896 in honor of President William McKinley. But on August 30, 2015, ahead of President Barack Obama’s trip to Alaska, where the range cuts into the skyline, secretary of the interior Sally Jewel announced that the Obama administration is reinstating its original name. Denali is said to mean, “the great one.”
“This name change recognizes the sacred status of Denali to many Alaska Natives,” Secretary Jewell said in a statement. “The name Denali has been official for use by the State of Alaska since 1975, but even more importantly, the mountain has been known as Denali for generations. With our own sense of reverence for this place, we are officially renaming the mountain Denali in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska.”
The president is heading to Alaska to push his environmental policy and “view the effects of climate change firsthand,” from more severe storm surges to increased wildfires, according to the White House. He is scheduled to meet with Alaskan Natives during his three days there.
Previous attempts to change the mountain’s name were thwarted by lawmakers from Ohio, where McKinley was born. The six million-acre park that surrounds the mountains was renamed the Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980. Alaskan senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded the change:
For centuries, Alaskans have known this majestic mountain as the ‘Great One.’ Today we are honored to be able to…
Posted by Lisa Murkowski on Sunday, August 30, 2015
But her Ohio counterpart, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), took to Twitter to tell the world why he’s mad:
I’m disappointed with the Administration’s decision to change the name of Mt. McKinley in Alaska (1/5)
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 31, 2015
Pres McKinley was a proud Ohioan, and the mountain was named after him, as a way to remember his rich legacy after his assassination (2/5)
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 31, 2015
The naming of the mountain has been a topic of discussion in Congress for many years (3/5)
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 31, 2015
This decision by the Administration is yet another example of the President going around Congress (4/5)
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 31, 2015
I urge Admin 2 work w/ me 2 find alternative ways 2 preserve McKinley’s legacy somewhere else in the natl park that once bore his name (5/5)
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 31, 2015
Columnist Andrew Malcolm also chimed in:
Another Obama Exec Order. Erasing Mt. McKinley from all maps (he was a Republican after all) & renaming it after the GMC Truck, Denali.
— Andrew Malcolm (@AHMalcolm) August 31, 2015
The order was signed August 28, 2015, and went into effect immediately.
(H/t ThinkProgress)