DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis has endorsed a collaborative proposal to change the name of Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky. The historic change could happen this coming week.
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names meets Thursday, in Reston, Va., and a broad-based recommendation to change the mountain’s name is on the federal board’s agenda, which could include a ratification vote.
On Tuesday, Polis wrote to Trent Palmer, BGN executive secretary, domestic names, endorsing the change on behalf of the State of Colorado and stakeholders, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. Clear Creek County and the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board (CGNAB) also have endorsed the name change.
“Simply put, Gov. Evans didn’t just engage in warfare against Native Americans, but facilitated the senseless slaughter of non-combatants including large numbers of women, children, and the elderly by his proclamation and acknowledged initiative to fully eliminate eastern Colorado of any Native American presence and actions further empowering Col. John Chivington,” Polis wrote in the letter.
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