DNR committee approves new names for geographic features

OLYMPIA - A mountain and a creek in Okanogan County are among nine named features that will receive new names following approval from the Washington State Committee on Geographic Names. The Committee approved the proposals to rename features bearing a derogatory term that refers to Indigenous women during its October meeting. The proposals from tribes came in the wake of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s orders last year to rename geographic features throughout the country.

Proposals from the Colville Confederated Tribes

A peak in Okanogan County would be renamed Condon Mountain, after a well-established family in the Kartar Valley on the Colville Reservation.

 A peak in Columbia County would be named Wenaha Peak after the Wenaha River, which runs below. Wenaha is a Cayuse place name and the peak is in the traditional territory of the Chief Joseph Band of Nez Perce.

A creek in Stevens County would be renamed Snqílt Creek, after the name for the area above Little Dalles to Northport where the creek is located.

Okanogan County

A creek in Okanogan County would be named “Gooseberry Creek.” The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation had proposed naming the creek “West Fork Frosty Creek,” for which the federal committee substituted “Gooseberry Creek.” The state committee advanced this proposal to allow for community discussion and tribal consultation.

During the meeting, the Committee also approved a spelling correction for the name of a bay in the San Juan Islands, as well as four proposals for initial consideration in Mason, Garfield, and Okanogan counties.

The Committee reviews each geographic name change proposal twice, allowing for public comment and tribal consultation. Following these discussions, the Committee decides whether to recommend that the Board of Natural Resources approve a name proposal.

Once the Committee approves proposals that are up for final consideration, it forwards its recommendations to the Board of Natural Resources, acting as the Washington State Board on Geographic Names. If the board approves these recommendations, the approved names are added to the Washington Administrative Code and the Board passes them along to the United States Board on Geographic Names for federal review.

The Committee also advanced initial proposals to rename four places: a slough and a lake in Mason County, a spring in Garfield County, and a creek in Okanogan County

Web Links

Detailed information on all initial and final proposals, including maps, historical information, and supporting documentation can be found on the Board of Natural Resources page under the About tab on the DNR website. Information on the policies and procedures of the Committee can be found in the same location.