There was supposed to be a vote on renaming Mount Evans this morning, but that vote has been postponed. This is a decision from the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) was created in 1890 to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the Federal Government. The BGN comprises representatives of Federal agencies concerned with geographic information, population, ecology, and management of public lands.
Mount Evans is named after John Evans, A Territorial Governor, who promised war with the local Indians, and resulting in the Sand Creek massacre.
There was a proposal put in front of the US board of Geographic Names about a year ago, which came from the Clear Creek County Officials. They submitted the suggestion of Mount Blue Sky, from the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Some people seemed to like the new name, including Gov. Polis who signed off on it. Unfortunately there’s a hiccup. Just before the vote today, the BGN was notified that a Tribal Government has requested an official Government to Government meeting. According to the Department of the Interior and their Intergovernmental Relations: Procedures for Consultation with Indian Tribes, any time Indian matters are involved, The Tribal Government can ask to get involved. The vote won’t happen until this meeting occurs. As of now, it is not known which Tribal Government requested the meeting, nor when that meeting will happen.
If you don’t like the name of something, you can request a name change yourself at the BGN’s website.
