(NEXSTAR) – Mount Doane, a mountain inside Yellowstone National Park, has a brand new name as a part of the Department of Interior’s process to remove derogatory terms from the names of federal lands.
In a November order, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, along with declaring “squaw” a derogatory time period, kickstarted the method to overview and substitute derogatory names of the nation’s geographic options.
Following a 15-0 vote by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names – the federal physique accountable for “maintaining uniform geographic name usage throughout the federal government” – Mount Doane turns into the most recent characteristic to be renamed. It is now named First Peoples Mountain, the National Park Service announced.
The 10,551-foot peak discovered east of Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming was beforehand named after U.S. Army Lt. Gustavus Doane.
Who is Gustavus Doane?
Doane was born in Illinois in 1840 however grew up in California, in accordance with Montana State University. After graduating from the University of the Pacific at Santa Clara, he enlisted in a volunteer unit referred to as the California Hundred. The unit was later absorbed by the Second Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry.
In 1867, Doane turned mayor of Yazoo, City, Mississippi, earlier than changing into a second lieutenant within the Second U.S. Cavalry. For the subsequent 24 years, Doane served with this unit and was stationed all through Montana, California, and Arizona. Doane was a part of the Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition in 1870, the place he and others explored present-day Yellowstone National Park.
After a white fur dealer was allegedly murdered, Doane led an assault on a band of Piegan Blackfeet, analysis has discovered. The Marias Massacre of 1870 left at the least 173 American Indians lifeless, together with girls, kids affected by smallpox, and aged Tribal members.
“Doane wrote fondly about this attack and bragged about it for the rest of his life,” NPS defined.
Doane additionally tried – and failed – to turn out to be superintendent of the park towards the tip of his life, Montana State University reports.
Renaming Mount Doane
Following options from the Rocky Mountain Tribal Council, votes inside the Wyoming Board of Geographic Names, and assist from NPS, the vote to rename Mount Doane was held earlier this month.
In the months main as much as the vote, Yellowstone officers spoke with 27 related Tribes and stated there was no opposition to the name First Peoples Mountain. The park could have extra options renamed to take away derogatory or inappropriate names.
Piikani Nation Chief Stan Grier calls the name change “long overdue.”
According to the Board of Geographic Names, there are 17 other geographic features with ‘Doane’ of their name, together with Doane Peak in Grand Teton National Park. Not all the websites are named after Gustavus Doane, although, like Sam Doane Mountain in North Carolina.
“Words matter, particularly in our work to make our nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” Haaland stated earlier this 12 months.
Both the Secretary of the Interior and the Board on Geographic Names have beforehand nixed different derogatory phrases. In the Sixties and 70s, derogatory phrases associated to Black and Japanese folks have been eradicated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.