One of Colorado鈥檚 14ers has received a lot of attention in recent years, and now the verdict is in. After an overwhelmingly favorable vote from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names Friday, Mount Evans is now Mount Blue Sky.
Mount Evans was named for John Evans, the second territorial governor of Colorado from 1862 to 1865. He played a significant role in the infamous Sand Creek Massacre, where a regiment of the U.S. military, unprovoked, slaughtered and mutilated hundreds of people 鈥� many of them women and children begging for mercy 鈥� in a peaceful Arapaho and Cheyenne encampment.
Evans wasn鈥檛 there that day, but he was known for actively fostering a culture of hatred and fear, pursuing policies that undermined peace plans and encouraging violence against native groups. He was condemned by many contemporaries, and multiple investigations into the massacre implicated him for creating the conditions for the massacre to unfold. Ultimately, he had to resign in 1865 because of this.
The first proposal to change the name of Mount Evans arrived in June 2018, according to Jennifer Runyon, a researcher with the Board of Geographic Names. In total, the board received six proposals for possible new names.
Among the suggested name changes 鈥� and ultimately the winning choice 鈥� was Mount Blue Sky. The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes formally proposed the name to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in November 2020, within days of the 156th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre. It was also in the context of a national conversation around systemic racism and the white supremacy embedded in the country鈥檚 place names and memorials that was prompted by the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.
Federal officials had planned a vote in March on the name change, but halted proceedings after objections from another tribe over "Mount Blue Sky."
Fred Mosqueda, Arapaho coordinator for the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, told 皇冠网址 at the time that the name 鈥淏lue Sky鈥� was meaningful to both Arapaho and Cheyenne people.
鈥淭he Arapahos are known as Blue Sky people,鈥� Mosqueda said. 鈥淭he Cheyennes have a yearly ceremony they do 鈥� it鈥檚 like the renewal of life, and it鈥檚 done before their sun dance. And it鈥檚 called Blue Sky.鈥�
Before the vote, Runyon pointed out the significance of the mountain for many area tribes.
鈥淭his feature is prominent, it dominates the Denver skyline in an area that was granted to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in an 1851 treaty,鈥� Runyon said in introducing the vote to change Mount Evans鈥� name. 鈥淲ith a subsequent treaty 10 years later, it excluded the summit (of Mount Evans) from the tribes鈥� lands. It is also on the ancestral lands of the Ute tribes.鈥�
The ultimate vote to change the name to Mount Blue Sky on Friday found 15 in favor, one opposed and three who abstained from voting. Chris Hammond, a member of the Domestic Names Committee, said it was clear to all that this 14er was ready for a name change, even if not everyone agreed on the ultimate choice.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 an overwhelming agreement that the name has to be changed,鈥� Hammond said during the meeting. 鈥淎s we come to today鈥檚 vote, it would have been preferable for us鈥揻or the parties to come to a consensus about the name, but that doesn鈥檛 always happen. So we鈥檙e faced with a decision to make today. But I want to celebrate the process, which involved a lot of careful listening.鈥�
Andy Flora with the Department of Commerce chimed in during the discussion to raise a concern about the appropriateness of using a sacred tribal phrase.
鈥淚 did have some concerns about the use of a name representing a sacred ceremony as the mountain,鈥� Flora said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that we could ever possibly reach a consensus that would satisfy all names. But I do hope that whatever name we pick does start the healing process.鈥�
Nevertheless, the change from Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky sends an important message in the eyes of Nicki Gonzales, a member of the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board and a former Colorado state historian.
鈥淭he significance really is to give a more accurate and more inclusive version of our history, which is written on the landscape in ways that we don't even think about,鈥� Gonzales said. 鈥淭he name 鈥楨vans鈥� (on Mount Evans), for generations, has really been a symbol of tragedy and pain for the Indigenous communities here in Colorado. And so, by renaming that, I want people to understand that we are getting to a more accurate version of who we are as a people, and that we're beginning to kind of face up to鈥搊r reckon with鈥搊ur racial past here in Colorado in very significant and visible ways.鈥�
Erin O'Toole contributed reporting to this story.
