On Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump stated that he plans to change the name of Mt. Denali back to Mt. McKinley. Denali, located in Alaska, is the highest mountain peak in North America, over 20,000 feet above sea level.
Previously, Denali was known as Mt. McKinley, named after President William McKinley, from Ohio, who was assassinated in 1901. In 2015, the name was reverted to Denali, the name given to the summit by Native Americans.
At the time, Ohio Republicans in Congress pushed back against changing Mt. McKinley to Denali.
But now, one Republican senator isn’t on board with changing Denali back to Mt. McKinley.
Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski made her thoughts on the matter clear on X.
“I strongly disagree with the President’s decision on Denali,” she wrote. “Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial.”
I strongly disagree with the President’s decision on Denali. Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time…
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) January 21, 2025
Last month, Murkowski said something similar.
“You can’t improve upon the name that Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans bestowed on North America’s tallest peak, Denali – the Great One,” Senator Murkowski said in a statement. “For years, I advocated in Congress to restore the rightful name for this majestic mountain to respect Alaska’s first people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years. This is an issue that should not be relitigated.”
