Republicans from Ohio have vehemently opposed the Obama administration’s decision to rename Mt. McKinley to Denali, even though Alaskan officials have petitioned the federal government to change the name since 1975.
During a recent visit to Alaska to promote efforts combating climate change, President Obama announced that his administration would rename the tallest peak in the United States, Mt. McKinley, back to Denali, the original name of the 20,322-foot tall mountain.
Denali is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one,” and the peak holds immense cultural significance to Alaskan natives. Mt. McKinley got its name in 1896 from a gold prospector in Alaska. He named it after William McKinley as a sign of political support during McKinley’s campaign for the presidency in 1896. In 1917, the United States formally recognized the mountain’s name when President Wilson signed the Mt. McKinley National Park Act.
It is this act that Ohio Republicans used in order to continuously block efforts by Alaskan congressmen and women to rename the mountain. The administration’s decision to change the name ignited a firestorm of opposition from Ohio’s delegation to Congress.
Senators Rob Portman and Bob Gibbs from Ohio released statements on Twitter criticizing the Obama administration for bypassing the 1917 Act in order to change Mt. McKinley to Denali. Since Alaskan officials have been petitioning Congress and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names since 1975, the name change was met with immense support in Alaska. Alaskan Governor Bill Walker and Rep. Don Young praised Obama’s administration for finally changing the name after 40 years of Ohioan opposition.
The reason Ohio has such a strong attachment to Mt. McKinley is due to the fact that it honors its native son, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley. After his assassination in 1901, Ohio became even more passionate about honoring McKinley.
However, William McKinley never even visited Alaska, let alone the nation’s tallest peak. There is no reason that the mountain should have been named after a man who had no connection to the state in any form.
Rather than imposing their beliefs on the people of Alaska, Ohio Republicans should consider honoring the 25th President by renaming Campbell Hill, the highest point in their state, to McKinley Hill.
