Sen. Murkowski bill would refer to mountain by Native name

Wednesday, January 30, 2013  

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a bill on Tuesday to rename Mount McKinley as "Denali."

Denali is an Athabaskan word meaning "The Great One" or "The High One." Murkowski said that's the way Alaskans refer to the nation's highest peak.

“I have nothing against President McKinley, whatsoever, but I would rather have this peak be called by the name it has gone by for centuries by Alaskans than a man who never set foot in our state,” Murkowski said in a press release.

Ohio's Congressional delegation has long sought to preserve the McKinley name. Former President William McKinley was born in Ohio.

Murkowski's bill is S.155.

Get the Story:
Murkowski again proposes renaming Mount McKinley to Denali (AP 1/29)