North America’s tallest mountain is a central part of Jeff King’s life. The four-time Iditarod winner runs his sled dog kennel and mushing tourism business just 8 miles from Denali National Park. The towering 20,310-foot peak plays a key role as King trains his dogs on nearby trails. Like many Alaskans, King believes the mountain will always be called Denali, its name rooted in Alaska Native culture, despite President Trump’s executive order to revert it to Mount McKinley.
The name McKinley was chosen in 1896 after a prospector heard about the presidential nomination of William McKinley, though he never visited Alaska.
Trump’s decision has been met with skepticism from those who live near the mountain. “I don’t know a single person that likes the idea,” said King, emphasizing that Denali honors Indigenous peoples connected to the land for millennia.
While the name McKinley stuck for years, it was changed to Denali in 2015 by President Obama as a gesture to Alaska Natives, who refer to the mountain as “the high one.”
While Trump’s move is backed in Ohio, where McKinley was from, Alaskans view it differently. Steve Haycox, a historian, criticized McKinley for his imperialist policies, arguing that Trump’s action is offensive to Alaska Natives.
John Wayne Howe, an Alaskan Independence Party member, expressed his disapproval of changing names in general, preferring Denali because it reflects local sentiment and history.
In response, Alaska’s legislative body is considering resolutions to preserve the name Denali. Governor Mike Dunleavy has not yet spoken with Trump but plans to address the issue in Washington. Former Governor Sarah Palin, a Trump supporter, disagreed with the name change, arguing McKinley should have remained the name.
Alaska’s senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, support the name Denali, while Representative Nick Begich is focused on other matters. The Alaska Native Heritage Center advocates for honoring Indigenous place names, viewing it as a step toward reconciliation. Locals like Joe McAneney, a pilot in Talkeetna, believe the name Denali will endure, regardless of political decisions, as it remains deeply ingrained in the culture and identity of Alaska.
