The latest from perennial right-wing letter writer Jim Lieb (”Haycox’s Denali opinion not a surprise,” Feb. 1), in which he dismisses historian Steve Haycox’s excellent arguments for keeping Denali the name of North America’s tallest mountain, deserves a response. One of Alaska’s most esteemed historians, Professor Haycox (“Trump’s push to rename Denali is an insult to Alaskans,” Jan. 26) argued President Trump was wrong to rename the mountain McKinley after 19th century President William McKinley.
Alaska’s statewide historical advocacy organization, the Alaska Historical Society, strongly agrees with Haycox. For centuries before white explorers and settlers found their way to Alaska, the five Athabascan groups that historically lived around Denali used names to describe North America’s tallest mountain, which referenced “great mountain,” “the tall one” or “mountain-big.” Alaskans have long preferred Denali and in 2015, the Secretary of the Interior changed the official name of the mountain to Denali.
McKinley’s name was attached to the mountain by a gold prospector passing through the region in 1896. Historians have come to judge McKinley as an imperialist who viewed colonized populations as inferior and incapable of self-government. McKinley exemplified characteristics Alaskans have long resisted: discrimination and ill-treatment of indigenous peoples, exploitation by distant colonialists, and manipulation of markets for personal gain. He never stepped foot in Alaska. Rather than being ashamed of the name affixed to our state’s most prominent landmark, Alaskans want to be proud of the symbol of our state’s majesty and the rich history it represents.
That’s why the AHS asked Alaska’s congressional delegation to overturn Trump’s administrative order, to “stand up proudly for Alaska’s history and pursue legislation to return Denali as the rightful name of Alaska’s greatest natural landmark.”
David Ramseur, Anchorage
President, Alaska Historical Society
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.