In Juneau, Alaska, Republican U.S. senators have taken action by proposing new legislation aimed at officially naming the highest peak in North America as Denali. This move comes shortly after President Trump issued an executive order that sought to revert the name of the mountain to Mount McKinley.
Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed her stance in a statement, emphasizing that in the views of Alaskans, the mountain is known as Denali. “Experiencing the grandeur and size of Denali firsthand, along with the crisp air, truly underscores why the Koyukon Athabascans labeled it ‘The Great One.’ This transcends politics; Alaskans across various backgrounds have long campaigned for the mountain to be recognized by its rightful name,” she remarked.
This bill, initiated by Murkowski, is co-sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan, who has ties to the Athabascan community through his wife. Just a month prior, on his first day in office, Trump had signed a decision to rename the iconic mountain, which stands at 20,310 feet (6,190 meters), back to Mount McKinley. Trump expressed his view that the Obama administration’s 2015 move to rename it Denali was disrespectful to President McKinley’s legacy.
William McKinley, who served as the 25th president, had never set foot in Alaska, yet the mountain was named Mount McKinley in 1896 by a prospector during the same year McKinley was elected president. The name remained officially recognized by the federal government until 2015, when Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the decision to restore the name Denali based on the strong backing from the Alaskan populace and the cultural significance to Alaska Natives. Over the years, the effort to rename the mountain has encountered resistance, particularly from lawmakers in Ohio.
Murkowski and Sullivan had previously attempted to pass legislation to officially designate the mountain as Denali in 2015. During Trump’s initial term, the senators voiced their objections when Trump suggested reappointing Mount McKinley as the mountain’s name. Recently, the Alaska Legislature moved forward by passing a resolution that requested the Trump administration to maintain Denali as the mountain’s name.
A spokesperson from the U.S. Interior Department, J. Elizabeth Peace, indicated via email that the agency refrains from commenting on pending legislation. She also noted that the proceedings to rename the mountain back to Mount McKinley, as directed by Trump’s executive order, were still not finalized but were anticipated to be concluded soon. Murkowski’s spokesperson, Joe Plesha, clarified that the proposed bill would not prevent the order’s implementation but would aim to annul it instead.
