Alaska’s Republican US senators introduced a bill Thursday to restore Denali as the official name of North America’s tallest peak. The legislation directly challenges President Donald Trump’s executive order that aimed to rename the 20,310-foot mountain Mount Mckinley.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, the bill’s lead sponsor, emphasized that Alaskans have long recognized the mountain as Denali. “Once you see it in person and take in the majesty of its size and breathe in its cold air, you can understand why the Koyukon Athabascans referred to it as ‘The Great One,'” stated Murkowski
Murkowski added that the name is a deeply rooted part of Alaska’s identity, not a political issue. Senator Dan Sullivan co-sponsored the bill and defended restoring the Denali name. Trump’s order, signed on his first day in office, sought to undo a 2015 decision by the Obama administration.
The order called the previous name change an “affront” to President William McKinley’s legacy. McKinley, the 25th US President, came from Ohio and never visited Alaska. In 1896, a prospector named the peak after McKinley, and the government formally recognized the name in 2015.
The Obama administration renamed the mountain Denali to honor Alaska Natives and acknowledge their historical connection to the land. For years, Ohio lawmakers opposed the name change, preventing Alaska’s efforts to reinstate Denali.
Alaska lawmakers recently passed a resolution urging the federal government to reject Trump’s decision. Murkowski’s bill does not block Trump’s order but aims to reverse it through congressional actions.
A spokesperson for the US Interior Department declined to comment on the proposed Denali name restoration bill but confirmed that the name change process remained incomplete. Murkowski’s office stated that the Denali name restoration bill represents a unified effort to protect Alaska’s heritage.
