Across the country, steps are being taken to deconstruct statues and rename landmarks that are considered to be culturally and racially insensitive. 

Last week, the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board held their very first meeting, in which they discussed and submitted name-change proposals for several different locations within the state.

The 15-member group was appointed by Governor Polis, and created specifically to evaluate proposals concerning name changes, new names, and name controversies of geographic features and public places in Colorado.

During the September 17 meeting, the advisory board submitted 14 name-change proposals for 12 locations in Colorado. In addition, the group also came up with a suggestion for a peak that's currently unnamed. According to OutThereColorado.com, the list of renaming proposals is subject to change as the board continues to meet over the following weeks.

One of the most notable name-change requests is for Mount Evans. The popular 14er was originally named after John Evans, who played a role in instigating the horrific Sand Creek massacre, which resulted in hundreds of Native American casualties. The board has recommended a few different name changes for this location, such as Mount Rosalie, Mount Soule, and Mount Cheyenne Arapaho.

Other requests and recommendations include:

  • Squaw Mountain to Mount Mistanta
  • Redskin Creek to Ute Creek
  • Chinaman Gulch to Trout Creek Gulch
  • Redskin Mountain to Mount Jerome
  • Negro Draw to Hops Draw
  • Benchmark Lake Reservoir to Nottingham Lake
  • V H Pasture Reservoir to Elk Springs Reservoir
  • Vurl Reservoir to Wapiti Reservoir
  • Calkins Lake toLongmont Union Reservoir instead.

The committee submitted Cimarron Peak for the nameless location in Jefferson County. Several of the name-change requests have already been approved at a local level. The green light was given to rename Negro Mesa to Clay Mesa, as well as changing Negro Creek to either Hops Creek or Clay Creek.

It's not yet been determined when the other name changes will go into effect.

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