President-elect Trump vowed this week to reverse former President Obama’s 2015 decision to rename North America’s tallest peak back to its Koyukon Athabascan name “Denali,” which means “High One” or “Great One.”
In a speech to conservatives at a Phoenix conference, Trump reiterated this promise and highlighted that President William McKinley, a Republican supporter of tariffs, was also from Ohio. Trump initially pledged to undo Obama’s action in August 2015, calling it an “insult to Ohio.”
During his speech in Phoenix, Trump also pledged to reverse the Democrats’ renaming of southern military bases that were previously named after Confederates, such as Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The mountain, originally named Mount McKinley in 1896 by gold prospector William Dickey, was a nod to McKinley’s presidential nomination victory as a Republican and a dig at Democratic silver supporters.
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Ohio’s William McKinley (1843-1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897, until his assassination in September 1901. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Six months into his second term, McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist laborer in Buffalo, New York. The assassin believed in government-driven economic equality and was inspired by a previous European assassination.
Despite Trump’s plan to revert to “Mt. McKinley,” many Alaskans prefer the name Denali:
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski criticized Trump’s proposal, calling it an “awful idea.”
Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan, both from Alaska, support the name Denali, emphasizing its historic and native roots.
“[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’?” Murkowski stated.
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Denali, near Talkeetna, Alaska (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
In 2015, Senator Sullivan stated that “Denali belongs to Alaska and its citizens,” emphasizing the significance of the name to Alaskan Natives.
In a statement to KTUU, Sullivan reiterated the strong preference of many Alaskans for the original name bestowed by the Athabascan people.
Former Rep. Ralph Regula, who represented McKinley’s district in Ohio, adamantly opposed changing the name to Denali, blocking such attempts during his tenure in Congress.
Regula criticized Obama for the name change, accusing him of acting like a dictator and implying that such a significant change should not be made lightly.
Ohio officials have shown respect for Alaskan preferences, with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted acknowledging the importance of Denali to Alaskans, even if it means letting go of the historical ties to McKinley.
