Yellowstone peak renamed after park cuts ties with explorer Doane. What to know
Yellowstone’s Mount Doane will be renamed First Peoples Mountain, the national park announced Thursday, June 9.
The name change came after a unanimous vote, 15-0, from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, according to a statement from Yellowstone National Park.
The peak was previously named after Gustavus Doane, an explorer who led an attack in 1870 that resulted in the Marias Massacre, killing at least 173 American Indians, the statement said.
“Doane wrote fondly about this attack and bragged about it for the rest of his life,” the release said.
Doane was a member of the Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition before Yellowstone became the country’s first national park, according to the release.
When considering the name change, Yellowstone reached out to the 27 associated tribes, the release said, and “received no opposition to the change nor concerns.”
The renaming of the peak came based on recommendations from the Rocky Mountain Tribal Council, Wyoming Board of Geographic Names and National Park Service, the release said.
First Peoples Mountain, a 10,551-foot peak within Yellowstone National Park, is east of Yellowstone Lake, the release said.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Yellowstone peak renamed after park cuts ties with explorer Doane. What to know."
