Heres How Denali Became Mount McKinley in the First Place
President Barack Obama announced Sunday that he would restore the original Native American name to the tallest peak in North America Mount McKinley will once again be Denali. Ohio lawmakers vowed to battle the decision, arguing that the name change would dishonor one of the state's most famous personages, former U.S. President William McKinley, from whom the mountain derived its name. "This political stunt is insulting to all Ohioans," said state lawmaker Bob Gibbs. The idea of changing the mountain's name is not a new onein the 1970s, for example, Alaska's state government made a serious effort to persuade the federal government to do what Obama has just done. As explained by a TIME story about that legal battle, the name "McKinley" was itself the product of a surprisingly personal political spat, At the time, Ohio Congressman Ralph S. Regula was the one to respond with outrage, writing to TIME to dispute the idea that Alaskans wanted the switch, and to question the relevance of whether McKinley had visited the mountain or not. "It would be interesting to see if other Alaskan landmarksMount Foraker, Jefferson Peak, Fillmore Peak, Mount Cleveland, Grant Peak, Lincoln Island, Wilson Creek or Point Hayeswere visited by people for whom they were named," he wrote. "All information I find indicates they were not."