What others say: Denali for Alaskans

  • Wednesday, February 11, 2015 7:08pm
  • Opinion

To Alaskans, the nation’s highest peak is Denali.

To Ohio and other points south, it’s Mount McKinley.

Who should decide between the two names? Well, Congress will, but it should be what Alaskans desire.

Denali, as we prefer to call it, is in Alaska. Alaska’s Athabascans named it Denali, which means “the Great One” or “the High One,” centuries ago. It’s been called Denali much longer than the several decades it’s been known by Mount McKinley.

The McKinley moniker came as a way to honor the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley of Ohio.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A remarkable man, McKinley, a Republican, served in the armed forces before he was elected to Congress and later as Ohio’s governor. As president, he is credited with leading the nation to rapid economic growth and victory in the Spanish-American War. He served one term before an assassin’s bullet ended his life.

But McKinley, while highly regarded, is not the Alaska people’s choice. The people who’ve lived in the mountain’s vicinity prefer Denali, a name that more aptly describes its grandeur at 20,320 feet.

While Congress, which has addressed the name choice previously, hasn’t been amenable to an official name change, precedent exists for it.

Denali National Park in the mountain’s neighborhood used to be called Mount McKinley National Park. When that change occurred, it should have included the mountain that is the premiere sight from within the park.

Ohio has erected monuments to McKinley; he is well remembered.

Alaska should be allowed to choose the names for its monuments, too.

— Ketchikan Daily News,

Feb. 10

More in Opinion

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from above on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Wildland Fire Information)
Point of View: Fire season starts before Iditarod ends

It is critical that Alaskans exercise caution with anything that could ignite a fire.

Snow collects near the entrance to the Kenai Community Library on Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Libraries defend every American’s freedom to read

Authors Against Book Bans invites you to celebrate National Library Week.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks during a town hall meeting hosted by three Kenai Peninsula legislators in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Chambers in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Preparing for wildfire season

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Alaska State House District 7 Rep. Justin Ruffridge participates in the Peninsula Clarion and KDLL 91.9 FM candidate forum at the Soldotna Public Library on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Putting patients first

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks at a town hall meeting in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Chambers in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Building better lives for Alaskans

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Opinion: Freeing states from the ‘stranglehold’ of the U.S. Department of Education

The USDOE has also been captured by a political ideology that has been harmful to education in America.

Alaska State House District 7 candidate Rep. Justin Ruffridge participates in the Peninsula Clarion and KDLL 91.9 FM candidate forum at the Soldotna Public Library on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Building a culture of reading

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Homer Port Director Bryan Hawkins. (Photo provided)
Opinion: The importance of the Homer Harbor expansion

Alaska’s marine trades and service businesses must be on a competitive playing field with other ports and harbors.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of debating an omnibus education bill in the Alaska House Chambers on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: HB 69 moves forward, fixes still needed

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.