Almanac: Ten years ago, Obama sparked a naming fight over Alaska’s tallest peak

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On Aug. 28, 2015, President Barack Obama, through Sec. of Interior Sally Jewell, announced that Alaska’s towering Mount McKinley would be officially renamed “Denali,” restoring an Athabascan name long used by Alaska Natives and many residents of the state. The decision was celebrated as a recognition of indigenous heritage, though it launched a controversy as well, as some saw the move as an insult to President William McKinley, the mountain’s namesake since 1896.

That name change officially lasted less than a decade. On Jan. 20, 2025 — his first day back in office — President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the US Department of the Interior to reinstate the name Mount McKinley, making it his first official act upon returning to the White House. Just three days later, on Jan. 23, Interior finalized the change, restoring “Mount McKinley” in all federal records. Google map references soon followed.

Today, the iconic 20,310-foot peak stands in Denali National Park and Preserve under the McKinley name, and Alaskans continue to use both names in everyday conversation. For many, “Denali” remains as a matter of identity, while “McKinley” endures as the federally recognized name, in spite of the Alaska Legislature passing a resolution in begging Trump to restore the name “Denali.”

The controversy has somewhat fizzled, replaced by other culture war issues of the day such as transgenderism and mutilation of children.

Murkowski fights Trump with legislation renaming Mount McKinley ‘Denali’

House passes first bill, begs President Trump to change the name of Mount McKinley back to Denali

Fairbanks Democrat pushes vote on resolution asking Trump to restore ‘Denali’ name for Mount McKinley

Wayne Heimer: McKinley, a rose by any other name

Alex Gimarc: Trump is throwing elbows at Lisa by restoring the name of Mount McKinley

32 COMMENTS

  1. One reason (among several) that I dislike the name “Denali” is the fact that the large majority of Alaskans cannot even pronounce the name properly. It is “De-NAH-lee” (last two syllable rhyming with “holly”), not Den-ALLEY”. There is no alley in Denali!

  2. Suzanne:

    As I have written in past columns, two negatives make a positive. Thus, Obama’s name change for the mountain was unconstitutional, flying against the congressional ANILCA legislation, which cnfirmed the name “McKinley” in 1980. Thus, Trump’s XO negated Obama’s change with perfect constitutionality! However, his effort to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico was as constitutional as Obama’s!

    So — Mt. McKinley/Denali Nat’l Park is federal property, and thus the Congress has the right to name the mountain. So most people would think. BUT! All national parks, forests, refuges, monuments fly in the face of Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 17 and the 10th Amendment. Therefore, what the Alaska legislature wishes to name the mountain should be the ONLY legal entity to do so.

    But there is another twist: if the AK legislature would be bold enough to do that, what about all the other things that are violated by the federal gov’t, as cited above? It would seem the legislature would muster the “courage” only to pick less important and the minor, softer targets, that would have the sympathy of the people, and what is probably the A-1 factor: the sympathy of the mainstream/liberal/Democratic/communist media.

    The truly courageous act would be for the legislature to go for the macro, not the micro, federal violations. Sen. Jesse Bjorkman heard me say this countless times when he was my “side-kick” on the radio, and never objected. Perhaps he even concurred. He fooled me completely that he was a conservative, yet gave increasingly disturbing clues he was otherwise: he defense of RINO Gary Knopp; his membership in the NEA and many travels to Juneau, where we can guess they were grooming him; his defense of RCV, Anne Zink, masking and open encouragement of the Covid Vax. All this led to our on-air departure. Now, he even has compromised his alleged prolife credentials.

    As an accomplished big game hunter, he has remained pro-gun. For now.

    • Hey, Birdie, here’s an idea that we could all get behind–no “bun” intended! Let’s move to blast and chisel President Trump’s face into the Moose’s Tooth–that would get the country’s juices flowing and the tempers flaring, and it would our congressional team something to break their teeth on.

  3. If we did not buy Alaska, the Soviet Union would have probably named Mt. McKinley, Mt. Lenin or Mt. Stalin or some suck nonsense. Only to update it to Mt. Putin in the last few years. I am sure Princess prefers that

    • Agreed, anything to divert the MAGA crowd from returning to the Epstein pedophilia story. A reminder that this Labor Day weekend sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell is in a Country Club in Texas probably getting ready to play Pickleball after her morning latte.

  4. I am Alaska Native and prefer the name Mt McKinley. I also think removing sporting team names like Braves and Redskins is foolishness. Now, let’s move on and correct other outrageous decisions made by Markist leaning America hating leftists. Trouble is deep in our Educational system.

    • And nobody, least of all mislead and ignorant Alaskans, will ever change my mind that the REAL name of the mountain is Mt. McKinley. I have never called it anything else, and I never will.

  5. I have no doubt that the indigenous people of Alaska and elsewhere in this country had a name or label in their native language for every significant geographical terrain feature be it a mountain range, a specific peak, a bay an inlet or a river. The re-naming of Mt. McKinley begs the question, where does this lunacy end? It appears to me to be nothing more than politically correct pandering to a segment of the population that has nothing better to do. Not to mention what is the expense of re-labeling every map and navigation chart that would be affected by this ridiculous exercise. A stupid waste of time and resources!

    • “It appears to me to be nothing more than politically correct pandering to a segment of the population that has nothing better to do. ”
      No different than when 0bama changed the name to Denali 10 years ago. Catering to a small portion of the population.

    • Mt. McKinley it has always been, and Mt. McKinley it will always be.

      TRUE Alaskans pay no attention to, and have nothing but contempt for, Left Coast carpetbaggers like you and Whidbey and cman and Sebastian.

    • Who cares?
      Does the person you are talking to understand what you are referring to when you use Denali, or Mt. McKinley, or The Great One, or “that huge pile of rocks over there…?”
      If they do, great, you do you.

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