RENAME

much greater support that we saw from both the Indigenous community and the non-Indigenous community for Mount Blue Sky, and so that was the reason we went ahead and made that choice,” Wheelock said before the vote was deferred.

For some Native American Coloradans, renaming the peak has been a decadeslong process. And for state ofcials and other community members, who engaged in research to support four other name change proposals for the Clear Creek County landmark, the process has taken more than a year to complete.

e renaming process, so far, has aimed to strip former Gov. John Evans’ name from the 14,265-foot landmark. Evans, who served as territorial governor from 1862 to 1865, was forced to resign for his role in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, a deadly attack on Native Americans that led to the deaths of more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women, children and older adults.

e Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board in November voted unanimously to change the name to Mount Blue Sky, a move supported by Clear Creek County o cials, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and many Native American tribe leaders and members who contributed to the renaming process.

Anne Hayden, John Evans’ great-greatgranddaughter, noting that she did not represent all members of her family, testi ed at a public meeting about renaming the peak and said she favored changing its name.

Gov. Polis earlier this month wrote in a letter to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names that each of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado deserves “a name be tting their majesty.”

While many Coloradans have grown up knowing the name Mount Evans, Polis wrote, it’s clear that people want a new name that unites the community and does not divide it. In the letter, Polis cited research by scholars at the University of Denver and Northwestern University, both of which Evans helped found, saying their work showed “Evans’ culpability for the Sand Creek Massacre, without question.”

During the formal process to consider renaming the peak, Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board members received more than 200 written and verbal statements from Native American tribe leaders, local government o cials, community members and loved ones of those who perished in or survived the Sand Creek Massacre, Chris Arend, a spokesman for the state naming board wrote in an email to e Colorado Sun on Wednesday.

“Considering there were six proposals and hours of public testimony, it was clear that there was a strong shared desire to rename Mount Evans,” he wrote in the email. “Ultimately, Mount Blue Sky struck the appropriate cord to garner support of Clear Creek County, the (Colorado Renaming Advisory Board) and Governor Polis.” is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.