Commissioners Object to Proposed Name Changes

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names has submitted a proposal to change the names of two features in Yellowstone National Park.
The Park County Commissioners yesterday considered the request to rename Hayden Valley, Buffalo Nations Valley; and to change the name of Mount Doane to First Peoples Mountain. Commission Chair Loren Grosskopf says the request for the name change came in the form of a petition from native tribes.

Grosskopf drafted a list of the reasons why the County would be opposed to change the names of those significant geographic locations, which the other Commissioners agreed with. Those reasons included that the names have been used for decades, and the public relies on the written history. He added that, quote, “attempting to analyze the history of these public figures should be viewed from all perspectives, and include consideration of the circumstances happening in the 1800s,” endquote.
That’s the most important reason, according to Commissioner Lee Livingston.

Additionally, by changing the names, the commissioners said such a decision would fly in the face of the pride and respect afforded those whose names are currently assigned to those locations – that their contributions to our country and to Park County were significant, and that they should be recognized.
Commissioner Tim French called the request, quote, “political correctness run amok,” endquote, which was the general consensus of the rest of the board. At the end of the discussion, the Commissioners authorized Chairman Grosskopf to reply to the email, listing their objections to the requested name change.