The debate over the name of North America's tallest peak heats up again.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to reinstate the name Mount McKinley to the Alaskan peak currently known as Denali, Fox News reported.
This decision is a reversal of former President Barack Obama's 2015 action which honored the mountain's native Alaskan heritage.
During a recent conference in Phoenix, Donald Trump emphasized his goal to rename Denali to Mount McKinley, crediting the mountain’s original designation to its historical ties to William McKinley, the Ohio-born 25th president of the United States. This historical connection reflects McKinley's Republican values and his policies on tariffs.
Prospector William Dickey named Mount McKinley in 1896 when William McKinley received the Republican nomination for president. Unfortunately, assassins cut short McKinley's presidency when anarchist Leon Czolgosz killed him in September 1901.
Alaska's political leaders have strongly opposed the change. GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both from Alaska, have expressed their preference for keeping the name Denali. They argue that it respects the indigenous heritage and the sentiments of Alaskan citizens who hold the name in high regard.
Senator Lisa Murkowski labeled the planned rename as "an awful idea," supporting the indigenous term Denali, which means "High One" or "Great One." She emphasized the mountain’s deep-rooted connection to Alaskan native history. Senator Dan Sullivan's spokesperson stated that the senator, along with many Alaskans, prefers "the name that the very tough, very strong, very patriotic Athabascan people gave" the peak.
"Denali is a name that has been around for thousands of years... North America’s tallest mountain – shouldn’t it have a name like ‘The Great One’?" Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned the rationale behind renaming a geographic feature with such a significant native history.
In contrast, Trump had first articulated his intention to restore the mountain's former name in August 2015, describing it as an "insult to Ohio” and a disregard for McKinley’s legacy. Furthermore, he plans to revert the names of southern military bases that were renamed from those honoring Confederates, as part of a broader agenda to restore historical names.
Ralph Regula, a former Republican congressman from Ohio, had fought to keep the mountain named after McKinley during his time in Congress, suggesting that changing the name by presidential action alone was akin to dictatorial behavior. "Obama thinks he is a dictator,” Regula had commented during the 2015 renaming, hinting at what he felt was an overreach of executive power.
Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted has shown respect for Alaskan preferences concerning the mountain’s name, indicating an understanding of the local sentiment. "If Denali is what Alaskans want, then he in turn understood, as he wouldn’t want Alaskans dictating Ohio name changes," he expressed, also noting his appreciation for the renewed interest in McKinley.
The contentious issue of the mountain’s name underscores the intersection of local, historical, and cultural values. Both sides provide strong narratives around the identity and heritage of the famed peak.
As President-elect Trump prepares to enter office, the discussion about the mountain's name invites a broader debate on national memory and local identity. The decision could shape the cultural dialogues around such symbolic national landmarks for years to come.
