President-elect Trump recently pledged to undo former President Obama’s 2015 decision to change the name of North America’s tallest peak from Mount McKinley to Denali. During a conference in Phoenix, Trump made the pledge, citing President McKinley’s Republican beliefs in tariffs and claiming that the name change was an insult to Ohio, where McKinley was born and raised. The mountain was originally named in honor of McKinley in 1896 by a gold prospector, as a jab at silver prospector William Jennings Bryan and his plan for a silver standard for the dollar.
William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 by an anarchist laborer who believed that economic inequality was rooted in the government. Despite Trump’s pledge to revert the mountain’s name to Mount McKinley, many Alaskans have expressed a preference for the name Denali. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan both support the name Denali, emphasizing the significance of the name given to the peak by Alaskan Natives. In 2015, Sullivan had stated that Denali belonged to Alaska and its citizens, and the naming rights for the peak should respect the Athabascan people.
Former Ohio Representative Ralph Regula, who spent years in Congress preventing a name change from McKinley to Denali, criticized Obama over the name change, calling him a dictator. However, some Ohio officials have shown deference to the will of Alaskans. Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted acknowledged in 2015 that if Denali was the name preferred by Alaskans, then he respected that decision and did not want to dictate name changes in Ohio. Despite some opposition to the name change from Ohio officials, many Alaskans continue to support the historic name Denali for the North America’s tallest mountain.
In response to Trump’s plan to revert the mountain’s name to Mount McKinley, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski described it as an “awful idea.” She highlighted the significance of the name Denali, which has been around for thousands of years and reflects the mountain’s status as North America’s tallest peak. Murkowski emphasized that the name Denali, meaning “The Great One,” was a name that had been given by the Athabascan people, and deserved to be respected. Senator Dan Sullivan also expressed support for the name Denali, emphasizing the importance of honoring the naming rights of Alaskan Natives.
Former Ohio Representative Ralph Regula, who passed away in 2017, strongly opposed the name change from McKinley to Denali, accusing Obama of acting like a dictator. Regula had worked to prevent the name change while he was in Congress, presenting procedural roadblocks to any attempt to rename the mountain. Despite Regula’s opposition, many Alaskans and Alaskan officials have expressed their preference for the name Denali, emphasizing the historical and cultural significance of the name given by the Athabascan people. The debate over the name of North America’s tallest peak continues to highlight the intersection of political, historical, and cultural factors.
