People stand at the Eielson Visitor Center with a view of North America's tallest peak, Denali, in the background, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. (AP File)
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Alaska Legislature passed a resolution Friday urging President Donald Trump to reverse course and retain the name of North America’s tallest peak as Denali rather than change it to Mount McKinley.
Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley, an identifier inspired by President William McKinley, who was from Ohio and never set foot in Alaska.
He said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.”
Unanimous Vote in State Senate About Denali
The 19-0 vote in the state Senate came just over a week after the House passed the measure 31-8.
The Interior Department late last month announced efforts were underway to implement Trump’s renaming order, even though state leaders haven’t seen the matter as settled. An Interior spokesperson, J. Elizabeth Peace, earlier this week said the agency did not have any further updates.
According to the National Park Service, a prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak Mount McKinley for William McKinley, who was elected president that year.
Although there were challenges to the McKinley name at the time it was announced, maps had already been circulated with the mountain’s name in place. There was no recognition of the name Denali, or “the high one,” bestowed on the mountain in interior Alaska by Athabascan tribal members, who have lived in the region for centuries.
Denali Recognized in 2015
The name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until it was changed in 2015 by the Obama administration to Denali as a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives.
The name change reflected the traditions of Alaska Natives and the preference of many Alaskans, underscored by a push by state leaders decades earlier. The 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain in Denali National Park and Preserve on clear days can be see from hundreds of miles away.
Joe McAneney of Talkeetna is a pilot for an air taxi company, ferrying climbers and tourists to the mountain in a small airplane outfitted with skis to land at base camp, located on Kahiltna Glacier at 7,200 feet (2,194.6 meters) above sea level.
He said previously that once tourist season comes around, he will have to answer questions of what he thinks about Trump changing the name. He knows what his answer will be.
“I think unofficially and officially in Alaska, it’ll always be Denali,” McAneney said. “I don’t think the president can change that.”
RELATED TOPICS:
Visalia Woman Sentenced to 5 Years for High-Speed Chase That Injured Officer
2 hours ago
More Active Duty Troops Will Head to US-Mexico Border, Bringing the Total to 3,600
2 hours ago
Police Search for Missing Fresno Man Last Seen in Bay Area
3 hours ago
Martin, Pardoned for Jan. 6, Sent to Lompoc Prison on Gun Charge Conviction
3 hours ago
With Immigrant Backgrounds, Vang, Leon Barraza Seek Fresno Council Seat
3 hours ago
Justice Department Won’t Release Names of FBI Agents Who Worked on Jan. 6 Riot Cases
4 hours ago
Aliens, Sloths and Silliness: Super Bowl Ads Offer Laughs, Celebs and Surprises to Win Over Viewers
4 hours ago
Judge Blocks Trump From Placing 2,200 USAID Workers on Paid Leave
4 minutes ago
Categories
![A street sign with names of U.S. government agencies housed at the Ronald Regan Building, including the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID headquarters in Washington, is pictured with one building occupant taped, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07141000/A-street-sign-with-names-of-U.S.-government-agencies-housed-at-the-Ronald-Regan-Building-including-the-United-States-Agency-for-International-Development-or-USAID-headquarters-in-Washington-is--1024x576.jpg)
Judge Blocks Trump From Placing 2,200 USAID Workers on Paid Leave
![People stand at the Eielson Visitor Center with a view of North America's tallest peak, Denali, in the background, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. (AP File)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07134251/People-stand-at-the-Eielson-Visitor-Center-with-a-view-of-North-Americas-tallest-peak-Denali-in-the-background-Sept.-2-2015-in-Denali-National-Park-and-Preserve-Alaska.-AP-File-1024x576.jpg)
Alaska Legislature Asks Trump to Retain Denali’s Name
![A driver on probation was arrested for DUI, drug possession, and firearm charges following a pursuit that started on State Route 198 and ended in Visalia. (CHP)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07131604/A-driver-on-probation-was-arrested-for-DUI-drug-possession-and-firearm-charges-following-a-pursuit-that-started-on-State-Route-198-and-ended-in-Visalia.-CHP-1024x576.jpg)
Driver Facing DUI, Drug, and Gun Charges After Pursuit in Visalia
![The damage to the Tulare police officer's vehicle during the incident. (Tulare County DA)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07121648/The-damage-to-the-Tulare-police-officers-vehicle-during-the-incident.-Tulare-County-DA-1024x576.jpg)
Visalia Woman Sentenced to 5 Years for High-Speed Chase That Injured Officer
![President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07120947/President-Donald-Trump-listens-during-a-news-conference-with-Japanese-Prime-Minister-Shigeru-Ishiba-in-the-East-Room-of-the-White-House-Friday-Feb.-7-2025-in-Washington.-AP-PhotoAlex-Brandon-1024x576.jpg)
More Active Duty Troops Will Head to US-Mexico Border, Bringing the Total to 3,600
![Authorities are searching for Hussein Ali, 65, of Fresno, last seen in Millbrae on Jan. 17, driving a black Kia Sorento. (Fresno PD)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07114249/Authorities-are-searching-for-Hussein-Ali-65-of-Fresno-last-seen-in-Millbrae-on-Jan.-17-driving-a-black-Kia-Sorento.-Fresno-PD-1024x576.jpg)
Police Search for Missing Fresno Man Last Seen in Bay Area
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/07111613/Ben-Martin-Lompoc-GV-Wire-Composite-1024x576.jpg)