Need good news? Colorado mountain honoring governor who led Indigenous massacre renamed

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/16/colorado-mountain-renamed-blue-sky-indigenous-massacre

Colorado mountain honoring governor who led Indigenous massacre renamed

Members of US Board on Geographic Names vote to change name of Mount Evans to Mount Blue sky at request of tribes

Gloria Oladipo
@gaoladipo
Sat 16 Sep 2023 12.08 EDT

Federal US officials renamed a Colorado mountain that was previously named after a disgraced governor of the state who led a massacre against Indigenous people. Members of the US Board on Geographic Names voted to change the name of Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky, at the request of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.

The new name was approved on Friday during a Council of Geographic Name Authorities board meeting in Oregon, according to a press release from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. The new name holds significance for both tribes. The Arapaho are known as the Blue Sky people, and the Cheyenne tribe hold an annual ceremony that is called Blue Sky, the Associated Press reported.

The mountain, a nearly 15ft peak in south-west Colorado, was previously named after John Evans, the notorious state governor who instigated a massacre against Indigenous people in the 19th century.

Evans resigned in 1865 for his role in the Sand Creek massacre. During that massacre, more than 200 Arapaho and Cheyenne people were killed in the Sand Creek that sits in a south-eastern region of Colorado. Most of those killed in the massacre were women, children and people who were elderly, the AP reported.

…more…

[mopinko]

1. evans was the founder of evanston, il.

home of northwestern, just over the border from chgo.
there was some talk about renaming it when this story got some press a few yrs back.
died quickly, but…

[cbabe]

2. I know Evanston well. Maybe time to revisit name change and

reparations for tribes/First Nations?

https://www.npr.org › 2021 › 03 › 23 › 980277688 › in-likely-first-chicago-suburb-of-evanston-approves-reparations-for-black-reside

Evanston, Ill., Approves Historic Reparations Plan For Black Residents ...

Mar 23, 2021Evanston's City Council voted 8-1 on Monday to approve the Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program, an official confirmed to NPR over email. It will grant qualifying households up to...

[Sneederbunk]

3. Blue Sky, Illinois? I like it.

[cbabe]

4. Yea. Add new city song: Sinatra sings Irving Berlin's Blue Skies

IRVING BERLIN (blue skies)

https://m.

[Think. Again.]

5. Excellent news...

...and a beautiful name.

[CloudWatcher]

6. 15ft :) :) :)

Nit picking little typo, the article claimed 15,000 feet elevation, not 15ft. And google tells me it's 14,271 feet, not "nearly 15,000" ... still excellent news!

[k0rs]

8. Also..

..not south-west Colorado. More like north central.

Denver news reporting on the name change of the mountain which is clearly visible from the city, but little on the reason why. But it is indeed a "blue sky" day today in Colorado, double entendre intended.

[yonder]

10. And "located in SW Colorado" is not even close also.

You'd think they were talking Telluride or maybe even the Gunnison area. 35ish miles mostly West of Denver technically puts it in NW Co. though North Central Co. makes sense.

Still, good news on the name change. Mt. Blue Sky fits too. I'll probably always still think of it as Mt. Evans though.

[momta]

7. Mount Blue Sky

And another good story about the renaming:

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/mount-evans-named-for-disgraced-colorado-governor-officially-has-a-new-name/

Mount Evans, the Colorado fourteener named after the state’s disgraced territorial governor, now has a new name: Mount Blue Sky.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names voted 15-1 on Friday afternoon to accept the proposal for the new name, which was one of six suggestions for the Front Range peak in Clear Creek County that’s prominently visible from across metro Denver. Three board members abstained.

Territorial Gov. John Evans was forced to resign following the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, when U.S. soldiers attacked and killed Cheyenne and Arapaho people in southeastern Colorado territory, even after they had tried to broker peace.

snip

[Sneederbunk]

12. Looks taller than 15 feet.

[niyad]

9. Excellent!

[VGNonly]

11. The mountain/road

is the highest paved road in Colorado, about 125' short of the summit. It's fairly close to Denver.

[spike jones]

13. Warning Graphic description of war crimes.

I dare you to read this.
Sand Creek Massacre Witness Accounts
I dare you to read this.
http://sandcreekmassacre.net/witness-accounts/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Medal_of_Honor_recipients_for_the_Indian_Wars

[VGNonly]

14. Little Big Man

and the miniseries Centennial were both somewhat based on The Sand Creek Massacre.