Mt. Denali – Restored
Denali is a Koyukon Athabascan term that means “high one” or “great one”
Published September 1, 2015
WASHINGTON — Ohio lawmakers are angry with President Obama’s decision to restore the name of our nation’s tallest mountain to Denali from Mt. McKinley.
A quick history lesson: President William McKinley, who was from Ohio, was the 25th president of the United States who was assassinated six months into his second term of his presidency. He never visited Alaska, therefore never saw the mountain that bore his name for over a century.
Related: Obama Will Announce Renaming of Mt. McKinley to Traditional Native Name of “Denali” on Monday
On Sunday afternoon, the White House announced the Obama administration would restore the name back to Denali, as it was known to the Koyukon Athabascan. Denali means the high one or great one to the Athabascan.
“McKinley served our country with distinction during the Civil War as a member of the Army. He made a difference for his constituents and his state as a member of the House of Representatives and as Governor of the great state of Ohio. And he led this nation to prosperity and victory in the Spanish-American War as the 25th President of the United States,” said House Speaker John Boehner, who represents a Cincinnati congressional district, in the statement. “I’m deeply disappointed in this decision.”
Ohio Senator Rob Portman tweeted several messages after Sunday’s announcement proclaiming his ire with the President. He called on President Obama to properly honor who was assassinated by a deranged anarchist in Buffalo, New York in September 1901.
“The president’s recent actions to remove his name and undermine a prior act of Congress is disrespectful, and I will continue to fight for proper recognition of President McKinley’s legacy,” stated Congressman Michael R. Turner, from Ohio’s 10th Congressional District.