On Sept. 15, 2023, the iconic Colorado 14er formerly known as Mount Evans was renamed to Mount Blue Sky. After many years of discussion and six formal proposal letters, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USGS) officially renamed the landmark during the Council of Geographic Names Authorities Conference with a majority of 15 votes.
The official petition outlines the tarnished history of the mountain as well as a proposal.
Gaining widespread attention back in 2020, the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board voted unanimously for change in November 2020, but it was in March of this year that Governor Jared Polis officially gave his recommendation to the USGS.
Mount Evans was named after John Evans, Colorado Territorial Governor at the time. In July of 1864, Governor Evans issued a proclamation allowing any and all white settlers to kill any Native American they deemed as ‘hostile,’ resulting in what would later be known as one of the worst massacres in American history, the Sand Creek Massacre.
Evans was responsible for a militia of U.S. soldiers attacking an encampment of approximately 750 peaceful Native Americans. The soldiers fled, leaving over 230 dead and many wounded, including many elders, women and children.
It is no secret to DU students that Evans founded the University of Denver the very same year. There are still many actions that can be taken within the university and beyond to continue to aid in this healing process, but an effort is being made. An official report on John Evans was conducted in 2014 by a group of 11 DU faculty members as a way of understanding and acknowledging his role in the massacre.
While the report is nearly 10 years old now, DU still puts forth efforts to not hide from the history the school is built on, and instead educate the community on the atrocious realities of the university’s past.
“It is through narrative, through storytelling, through being a part of history, through really trying to tell the truth and demystify the past, to counter this American mythology about Indigenous peoples,” said Ramona Beltran, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Social Work.
Evans was forced to resign his position as governor in disgrace, but he has continued to live on through Mount Evans. The Cheyenne and Arapaho people were reminded of this story anytime they looked west towards the mountains, but now a healing process can finally begin.
Proposed in 2020 by the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and the Wilderness Society, the new name, Mount Blue Sky, recognizes both tribes. The Cheyenne people have an annual renewal-of-life ceremony known as Blue Sky and the Arapaho have been known as the Blue Sky People.
“Names matter. How we identify our public lands is an important opportunity to be inclusive and welcoming, and to make a lasting impact for future generations,” said Michael Brain, principal deputy assistant secretary for Water and Science.
While the renaming of signs and roads may take a bit of time, Coloradans can now look towards Mount Blue Sky as a symbol of peace instead of war.
