This is a developing story.
The name is no longer Denali.
The tallest mountain in the United States has been officially reverted to Mount McKinley, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced in a press release Friday. The official action comes four days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office that also changes the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“As directed by the President, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America and North America’s highest peak will once again bear the name Mount McKinley,” the press release states. “These changes reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to preserving the extraordinary heritage of the United States and ensuring that future generations of Americans celebrate the legacy of its heroes and historic assets.”
The exective order directed the Interior Department to make the change within 30 days. The name changes won’t immediately be present on all federal documents, websites and in other uses, the Interior Department noted.
“The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, under the purview of the Department of the Interior, is working expeditiously to update the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use,” the release states.
A poll of 1,816 adult residents in Alaska published earlier this week found 54% opposed changing the name, 26% supported it and 20% had no opinion. The Alaska Survey Research poll between Jan. 11-13 also found Trump voters favored the name change with 43% supporting, 37% opposing and 23% with no opinion. Voters supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris opposed the change with 7% supporting, 86% opposing and 7% with no opinion.
Vera Starbard, a Juneau resident who is this year’s Alaska Writer Laureate and a screenwriter for the PBS animated television show “Molly of Denali,” shared a social media post referencing an episode called “Molly and the Great One” that features the history of the mountan and its name.
“More than a whim or aesthetic preference, Denali’s millennia-old history with its given name is better appreciated the more you know about it,” she wrote.
Bipartisan opposition to the name change has been expressed by numerous Alaska politicians, although two of Trump’s strongest Republican supporters — U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III and Gov. Mike Dunleavy — have offered noncommittal responses.
Begich earlier this week told Politico “what people in the lower 48 call Denali is not of my concern.” Dunleavy, during a press conference Wednesday, said he intended to travel to Washington, D.C., in February and would seek to talk to Trump about the renaming then.
“Until I have the conversation I’m going to refrain from saying what it should be or shouldn’t be,” Dunleavy said.
Three resolutions seeking to maintain the name of Denali were introduced this week in the Alaska State Legislature, including two in the House that were fast-tracked to the Rules Committee for Monday morning, but are now seemingly moot. But Rep. Maxine Dibert, a Fairbanks Democrat who sponsored one of the two House resolutions, said Friday she believes it’s still worth moving forward with them because “it’s a message, even though it’s moot.”
“Maybe we can have a congressional committee,” she said. “You always want to try to find a loophole or some kind of way to get forward.”
Dibert said the hope is a resolution opposing the renaming will be passed before Dunleavy’s State of the State speech on Tuesday night.
The mountain referred to as Denali by Alaska Natives for centuries was officially named Mount McKinley from 1917 until 2015, then changed to Denali in 2015 during President Barack Obama’s second term. Trump vowed during his first term in 2017 to change the name and followed through after he was reelected.
“We will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs,” Trump said during his second inaugural address. “President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent. He was a natural businessman, and gave Teddy Roosevelt the money for many of the great things he did, including the Panama Canal, which has foolishly been given to the country of Panama.”
The Associated Press announced on Thursday it will use the Mount McKinley name when it becomes official since it is within the U.S., but continue using the Gulf of Mexico name because it is an international location.
“Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country,” a statement by AP notes.
That is not the case with the Gulf of Mexico.
“Trump’s order only carries authority within the United States,” the statement notes. “Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change. The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”
The Juneau Empire will observe the AP’s style for both renamings, but will note the change from Denali for an indeterminate length of time and thereafter where appropriate.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
