Ahead of his 3-day swing through Alaska, President Obama announced Sunday that Mount McKinley will return to its native Alaskan name, Denali — meaning “the great one.”
The 20,237-foot tall mountain, the tallest in North America, was officially renamed by Congress in 1917 in honor of President William McKinley, stirring criticism of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names among native Alaskans.
That age-old dispute will come to an end when Obama kicks off his visit to The Last Frontier on Monday. A White House press release sent 24 hours before his arrival touted the move as part of the President’s efforts to seek “greater engagement and collaboration with Native American tribes.”
“McKinley became our 25th President, and was tragically assassinated just six months into his second term,” read the statement. “But he never set foot in Alaska — and for centuries, the mountain that rises some 20,000 feet above sea level, the tallest on the North American continent, had been known by another name — Denali.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced a bill in January to return the towering peak to its original name, but the bill ultimately proved unsuccessful. During a congressional hearing earlier this summer, an Interior Department official reportedly told members of Congress that the Obama administration did not object to Murkowski’s efforts.
Following his public announcement of the name change Monday, Obama will travel throughout the state visiting with Alaskans and stirring up support for his recent efforts to combat climate change. He is also set to unveil a series of initiatives intended to boost the expansion of natural resources in the state.
