Quarterly Review List 430
(49 names)
Released December 30, 2017
UNITED STATES BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
WASHINGTON, D.C.
This Quarterly Review List presents names proposed for geographic features in the United States.
The names are offered to (1) identify previously unnamed features, (2) provide official recognition
to names in current local usage, (3) resolve conflicts in name spellings, applications, and local usage,
or (4) change existing names. Any organization, agency, or person may indicate to the U.S. Board
on Geographic Names (BGN) their support or opposition to any name proposed herein by submitting
written evidence documenting their position.
The names herein are official for use in Federal publications and on maps upon approval by the
BGN. Only one name is official per geographic feature; however, a shortened version of an official
name may be authorized, and these are identified by underlining. The use or omission of nonunderlined words is optional.
Variant names and spellings discovered in researching a name are listed following the word “Not.”
These may include names and spellings that formerly were official, historical names known to have
been previously associated with the feature, names that conflict with current policies of the BGN,
misspellings, and names misapplied to the subject of the proposal.
If a populated place is incorporated under the laws of its State, it is specified as such in parentheses
after the feature designation. Populated places without such designations are not incorporated.
The information following each name indicates the submitting agency or person, the most recent
base series map* for locating the feature, the reason for the proposal, and other pertinent background
facts needed to assist the BGN in its decision process. Each paragraph also includes a link to
available maps services showing the location of the feature. A copy of this Review List has also
been posted to the BGN’s website at https://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/quarterly_list.htm.
Effective immediately, the horizontal datum used for geographic coordinates in all Domestic
Geographic Names publications is the North American Datum of 1983. The datum of some
geographic coordinates from historical maps may still be the NAD27.
Comments on the name proposals may be sent to: Mr. Lou Yost, Executive Secretary, U.S. Board
on Geographic Names/Domestic Names Committee, 523 National Center, Reston, VA 20192-0523;
telephone (703) 648-4552; fax (703) 648-4549; e-mail BGNEXEC@usgs.gov .
THE NAMES IN THIS REVIEW LIST MAY BE USED ONLY AFTER APPROVAL BY THE
BGN
*Standard map series published by the U.S. Geological Survey, USDA Forest Service, or Office of
Coast Survey.

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ALASKA
Lake Ahkivgak: lake; 472 acres; located 22 miles SE of Deadhorse, between the Shaviovik River
and the Kadleroshik River; the name honors Jennie Ahkivgak (1935-2012), the grandmother of one
of 12 owners of the only Native allotment bordering the feature; North Slope Borough, Alaska; Sec
21, T8N, R18E, Umiat Meridian; 70°01’37”N, 147°39’16”W; USGS map – Beechey Point A-2
1:63,360.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=70.02683&p_longi=-147.65448
Proposal: new commemorative name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Beechey Point A-2 1:63,360
Proponent: Elizabeth Ahkivgak; Anchorage, AK
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal, submitted to the BGN by the Alaska Board on Geographic Names
(AKBGN), is to apply the new commemorative name Lake Ahkivgak to an unnamed 472-acre lake
west of the Shaviovik River, in the North Slope Borough. The name would commemorate Jennie
Ahkivgak (1935-2012), the proponent’s grandmother. The proponent is one of twelve Alaska
Natives who own allotments that border the lake. The remainder of the property the lake is owned
by the State of Alaska. According to the proponent, her grandmother “grew up there and lived a
subsistence lifestyle.” The AKBGN requested additional biographical details but none was received
and the proponent responded that she did not wish for the proposal to be considered as a
commemorative name. After receiving no comments from the Alaska Department of Natural
Resources/Division of Mining, Land, and Water, the North Slope Borough government, the Arctic
Slope Regional Corporation, the Alaska Native Language Center, or The Alaska Dispatch News, the
AK BGN voted to recommend approval of the name.
CALIFORNIA
Breadloaf Peak: summit; elevation 6,902 ft.; in Sequoia National Forest, 4 mi. ENE of Sugarloaf
Peak, 1.6 mi. E of Bull Run Peak; named for the shape of the mountain; Secs 20&17, T24S, R32E,
Mount Diablo Meridian; Tulare County, California; 35°49’51”N, 118°32’54”W; USGS map –
Tobias Peak 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=35.830969&p_longi=-118.548429
Proposal: new descriptive name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Tobias Peak 1:24,000
Proponent: Emma Pauly-Hubbard; Madison, WI
Administrative area: Sequoia National Forest
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Breadloaf Peak is proposed for a 6,902-foot unnamed summit in
Sequoia National Forest in southern Tulare County. The proponent states that the summit is
somewhat loaf-shaped. She notes that she worked as a seasonal employee for the U.S. Forest
Service in 2016 and 2017 and that the nearby Sugarloaf Peak (four miles to the west) inspired the

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proposed name for the unnamed summit. There are a few communities and administrative features
near Sugarloaf Peak that are named in association with it. GNIS does not list any geographic
features in California that include “Bread” in their names.
Change Jeff Davis Peak to Da-ek Dow Go-et Peak: summit; elevation 9,025 ft.; in HumboldtToiyabe National Forest/Mokelumne Wilderness, 1 mi. NW of Border Ruffian Flat, 1.7 mi. S of
Markleeville Peak; the name is Washoe for “saddle between points”; Sec 16, T9N, R19E, Mount
Diablo Meridian; Alpine County, California; 38°38’12”N, 119°53’48”W; USGS map – Carson Pass
1:24,000; Not: Jeff Davis Peak, Sentinel Rock.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=38.63671&p_longi=119.89661&fid=261917
Proposal: to change name considered offensive and to recognize a native name
Map: USGS Carson Pass 1:24,000
Proponent: Hung-A-Lel-Ti Woodfords Washo Community; Woodfords, CA
Administrative area: Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest/Mokelumne Wilderness
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Jeff Davis Peak (FID 261917)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Jeff Davis Peak (USGS 1889, 1891, 1893, 1956 1979, 1985, 1992, 2012, 2015;
AMS 1957, 1964; USFS, 1983, 1994, 2016, 2017; Place Names of the Sierra Nevada,
Browning, 1991; California Place Names, Gudde, 1998); Sentinel Rock (Wheeler’s
Topographical Atlas, 1883; Place Names of the Sierra Nevada, Browning, 1991; California
Place Names, Gudde, 1998)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Jeff Davis Peak, located in the HumboldtToiyabe National Forest and Mokelumne Wilderness in Alpine County, to Da-ek Dow Go-et. The
name reportedly means “saddle between points” in Washo and describes the overall shape of the
area around the summit.

Section of the 1992 USGS Carson Pass 1:24,000 quadrangle
A proposal to change the name of the summit to Fred Bee Peak was submitted previously and
included on Review List 429. When asked to comment on the proposal, the Alpine County Board
of Commissioners consulted with the Hung-A-Lel-Ti Woodfords Washo Community (listed with

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the Bureau of Indian Affairs as the Woodfords Community Ranch, a constituent band of the
Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California). The community informed the county commissioners
that a respected tribal elder had provided the name Da-ek Dow Go-et and asked for the name to be
changed to the Washoe name (the Woodfords Washo Community agreed later to add the generic
“Peak”) The commissioners submitted the proposal to the BGN on behalf of the Hung-A-Lel-Ti
Woodfords Washo Community.
When informed of the counter-proposal, the proponent of Fred Bee Peak withdrew his proposal.
The name Jeff Davis Peak first appeared on USGS topographic maps in 1889. A map published in
1883 in Wheeler’s Topographical Atlas applied the name Sentinel Rock to the summit.
Erwin G. Gudde’s 1998 edition of California Place Names reported that although the name Jeff
Davis Peak was unrecorded until the USGS map of 1889, “[it] may have been in use locally [before
then], as many of the inhabitants of nearby Summit City (now abandoned) were Confederate
sympathizers during the Civil War.”
In addition to the summit, a stream that flows on the east side of the summit is named Jeff Davis
Creek; this name was the subject of a 1979 BGN decision. A dam and a mine that have names
including “Jeff Davis” are approximately 40 miles to the southwest of the summit. The only
proposal that the BGN has received is to change the name of the summit.
Change Confederate Corners to Springtown: populated place (unincorporated); located 2.4 miles
SSW of Salinas; the name was given to the site in the 1850s or 1860s; Nacional Land Grant;
Monterey County, California; 36°38’41”N, 121°39’52”W; USGS map – Salinas 1:24,000; Not:
Confederate Corners, Spring Town.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=36.644682&p_longi=121.6643902&fid=221451
Proposal: to change a name considered to be inappropriate
Map: USGS Salinas 1:24,000
Proponent: Monterey County Board of Supervisors; Salinas, CA
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Confederate Corners (FID 221451)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Confederate Corners (USGS 1910, 1912, 1940, 1947, 1983, 2012, 2015; Official
Map of Monterey County California, Hare, 1898; Monterey County Place Names, Clark, 1991;
San Francisco Chronicle, 2017); Spring Town (Monterey County Place Names, Clark, 1991;
California’s Geographic Names Durham, 1998); Springtown (Hand-Book and Directory of the
Pacific Coast, 3rd issue, Paulsen, 1975; Monterey County Place Names, Clark, 1991;
California’s Geographic Names, Durham, 1998)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Confederate Corners, a small
unincorporated community located southwest of Salinas in Monterey County, to Springtown. It is a
counter-proposal submitted by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in response to the earlier
Campesino Corners proposal (BGN Review List 429).
The name Confederate Corners was first used in the 1860s after Southerners and Confederate
sympathizers settled in the area. According to Monterey County Place Names (Clark, 1991) and
California’s Geographic Names (Durham, 1998), the community was also known as Spring Town or
Springtown, in honor of early settlers from San Francisco named Francis S. and John H. Spring. It is

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not clear whether either of the latter names were used before the 1860s; the name Springtown first
appears in The Hand-Book and Directory of the Pacific Coast (Paulsen, 1875). The adjacent Spring
School appeared on USGS topographic maps beginning in 1910. Confederate Corners was first
labeled on USGS maps in 1910.
Articles published in August 2017 in The Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle entitled,
respectively, “Confederate Corners in Salinas embattled again amid Trump’s preservation call” and
“Residents of Confederate Corners near Salinas say the name is history,” note that many local
residents, including a Salinas City Council member, were unaware that the community was named
Confederate Corners. The articles also note that it was the inspiration for the fictional town of
“Rebel Corners” in John Steinbeck’s novel The Wayward Bus. Because of the Steinbeck connection,
one resident stated, “Out-of-towners know better about this place than the people who live here.”
Another added, “I heard the name used many years ago, maybe sometime in the ’50s. As time goes
by, you forget stuff.” The name does appear on Google Maps.
The proposal to change the name to Campesino Corners was submitted by a resident of Stanford, in
an effort to “reflect the backbone of the multi-billion agricultural industry of the Salinas Valley: the
‘campesinos,’ or ‘farmworkers’; [it] symbolizes the hardworking people of Salinas.” After some
discussion, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors agreed that the current name should be
changed but recommended that the historic name be applied instead. The proponent of Campesino
Corners does not wish to withdraw his proposal. GNIS does not list any other features in California
named “Springtown.”
Change Digger Bay to Wintu Bay: bay; in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, 1.3 mi. SW of Bass
Mountain; the name refers to the Wintu people; Shasta County, California; Secs 12&13, T33N,
R5W, Mount Diablo Meridian; 40°43’33”N, 122°23’25”W; USGS map – Shasta Dam 1:24,000;
Not: Digger Bay
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=40.7257052&p_longi=122.3902876&fid=222371
Proposal: to change a name considered offensive and to recognize a native name
Map: USGS Shasta Dam 1:24,000
Proponent: Wade McMaster; Shasta Lake, CA
Administrative area: Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Digger Bay (FID 222371)
Local Usage: Wintu Bay (proponent, 70 years)
Published: Digger Bay (USGS 1956, 1984, 1998, 2012, 2015; USFS 1984)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Digger Bay, located in Shasta-Trinity
National Forest and Shasta County, to Wintu Bay. A second proposal would change the name of
Digger Creek, which flows into the bay.
The proponent, who is chair of the Wintu Tribe of Northern California (not federally recognized but
recognized by the State of California), states that the existing name is offensive to the Wintu people
and “since the word ‘digger’ was originally used to refer to them, it seems only fitting that the more
appropriate word ‘Wintu’ be used in its place.” He notes also that the bay lies within the Wintu
Tribe’s ancestral territory and that the Wintu People have referred to it as Wintu Bay for the last 70
years. Digger Bay was first labeled on USGS topographic maps in 1956.

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According to the proponent, the word “digger” was used to refer to the Wintu people who “often
used digging tools and dug for roots, bulbs & insects.” Furthermore, “Tribal belief is that it was
used because it cleverly rhymed with another derogatory term that was used during this time.”
Early American settlers in the west encountered Paiute tribes in the harsh Great Basin who depended
on roots for much of their food. The term “digger” was applied derisively to these tribes but later
became most associated with a number of distinct tribes in eastern and northern California (including
the Wintu) who also included roots in their diet. One anthropologist argues that the “digger”
stereotype and the associated violence against California Indians originated with unsuccessful
prospectors who took out their frustrations on the native population.
GNIS also lists Digger Bay Marina, a locale adjacent to Digger Bay.
Change Digger Creek to Wintu Creek: stream; approx. 1 mi. long; heads in Shasta-Trinity
National Forest at 40°43’48”N, 122°22’13”W, flows WSW to enter Digger Bay (proposed to be
changed to Wintu Bay) 1 mi. SW of Bass Mountain; the name refers to the Wintu people; Shasta
County, California; Sec 12, T33N, R5W & Sec 7, T33N, R4W, Mount Diablo Meridian;
40°43’32”N, 122°23’08”W; USGS map – Shasta Dam 1:24,000 (mouth); Not: Digger Creek
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=40.7254275&p_longi=122.3855651&fid=222380
Proposal: to change a name considered offensive and to recognize a native name
Map: USGS Shasta Dam 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Wade McMaster; Shasta Lake, CA
Administrative area: Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Digger Creek (FID 222380)
Local Usage: Wintu Creek (proponent)
Published: Digger Creek (USGS 1944, 1946, 1956, 1998, 2012, 2015; USFS 1964, 1989,
1997, 2007, 2016)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Digger Creek in Shasta-Trinity National
Forest and Shasta County to Wintu Creek. The stream is one mile long and flows into Digger Bay
(proposed Wintu Bay). Like the bay, the stream lies within the ancestral territory the Wintu Tribe of
Northern California. Digger Creek was first labeled on USGS maps in 1944.
FLORIDA
Emmas Pond: lake; 1.5 acres; 0.4 mi. W of Lake Steer, 0.5 mi. SW of Lake Rose; named for Emma
Katherina Frederika Wilkening (1872-1955), who resided in the area for several decades; Sec. 33,
T22S, R28E, Tallahassee Meridian; Orange County, Florida; 28°31’46”N, 81°30’34”W; USGS map
– Winter Garden 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=28.52938&p_longi=-81.50946
Proposal: new commemorative name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Winter Garden 1:24,000
Proponent: Kathleen Emma Klare; Windermere, FL
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found

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Case Summary: This proposal would apply the new name Emmas Pond to a small lake west of
Orlando near Gotha. The name would commemorate Emma Katherina Frederika Wilkening (18721955), the proponent’s grandmother. According to the proponent, her grandparents Emma and
Henry moved to Gotha in 1911. Henry helped construct the town’s first sidewalks and water system.
They purchased the property which contains the lake around 1920. The proponent states that her
grandfather is well-recognized in the history of Gotha and wishes to recognize her grandmother’s
role as well.
GNIS lists two lakes with the name Lake Emma within 25 miles of the proposed Emmas Pond,
although neither is in Orange County; it is unclear for whom these lakes were named.
GEORGIA
Wolfpack Creek: stream; 1 mi. long; heads in the City of Decatur 1.8 mi. SE of Candler Lake at
33°46’31”N, 84°18’12”W, flows NW, W, and SW into Peavine Creek 1.3 mi E of the Druid Hills
neighborhood; named for the wolf mascot of a nearby elementary school and the idea of working
as a team; DeKalb County, Georgia; 33°46’55”N, 84°18’43”W; USGS map – Northeast Atlanta
1:24,000 Not: Peavine Creek Tributary.
Mouth: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=33.78203&p_longi=-84.31184
Source: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=33.7754&p_longi=-84.30347
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Northeast Atlanta 1:24,000
Proponent: Steven Blackburn; Decatur, GA
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: Peavine Creek Tributary (FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map 2013; DeKalb
County GIS, 2017)
Case Summary: This proposal would apply the new name Wolfpack Creek to a one-mile-long
tributary of Peavine Creek in Decatur in DeKalb County. The name refers to the wolf mascot of
Westchester Elementary School, which is located along the stream, and the idea of working
together as a team or “pack.” The name was chosen by third grade students who study the stream,
conduct trash clean-ups in the stream valley, and monitor the stream’s water quality.
The proponent provided letters of support from the school principal, the superintendent of
Decatur’s schools, the “Third Grade Westchester Wolves,” and one student.
The stream is labeled Peavine Creek Tributary by the DeKalb County GIS department. This name
comes from a 2013 FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map of the area.
A query of GNIS found three streams within 25 miles of the proposed Wolfpack Creek that have
the name Wolf Creek. There are no nearby features with names that include “pack.”
IOWA
Lake Lavon: reservoir; 1 acre; located 2.3 mi. ESE of the community of Cou Falls, 2.7 mi. SE of
Shueyville; named for Lavon Lake (locally called Lake Lavon) in Collin County, Texas; Sec 23,
T81N, R7W, Fifth Principal Meridian; Johnson County, Iowa; 41°48’48”N, 91°37’41”W; USGS
map – Swisher 1:24,000.

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https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=41.813463&p_longi=-91.627942
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Swisher 1:24,000
Proponent: Ken Kuhlman; Solon, IA
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Lake Lavon is proposed for a one-acre reservoir in the Twin Valley
Lakes subdivision in Johnson County. The proponent states that the name comes from “Lake
Lavon,” a noted fishing location northeast of Dallas, Texas. This reservoir is recorded in GNIS as
Lavon Lake, which was a 1971 BGN decision. Lavon Lake is locally known as Lake Lavon, and is
named for the nearby town of Lavon.
A query of GNIS found no nearby features with names including “Lavon.”
MARYLAND
Baynes Cove: bay; 450 ft. by 120 ft.; located at the head of Seneca Creek, 1 mi. S of the community
of Bowleys Quarters; the name commemorates Robert Baynes (-2012), a lifetime resident whose
family owned property at the cove; Baltimore County, Maryland; 39°19’02”N, 76°23’12”W; USGS
map – Middle River 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.317343&p_longi=-76.386789
Proposal: to make official a commemorative name in local use
Map: USGS Middle River 1:24,000
Proponent: Stephanie Baynes; Middle River, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Baynes Cove (proponent and family)
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official name Baynes Cove for a small bay at the head of
Seneca Creek in Baltimore County. The proponent reports that the name would commemorate her
grandfather Robert Baynes (1928-2012), a lifetime resident of Baltimore County who a local florist
business and whose family owned property at the cove. She adds that the cove contains a pier and
boat ramp that the owners have dredged and kept open for public use for 59 years.
Bear Town: area; approx. 0.25 acres; on the SW side of Upper Ford Hill 1.2 mi. NE of Hoyes Run;
the name is descriptive of suitable bear hibernation habitat; Garrett County, Maryland; 39°32’40”N,
79°24’16”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.54455&p_longi=-79.4045
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record

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Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This is the first of eight proposals submitted by an individual who owns property in
the vicinity of Sang Run in Garrett County. The new name Bear Town is proposed for a 0.25-acre
area of boulders on the southwest side of Upper Ford Hill in Garrett. He states the name describes
the suitable habitat among the boulders for hibernating bears. The area contains at least two talus
caves, which are spaces formed by large collapsed or leaning boulders.
A query of GNIS found several nearby features with “Bear” in their names, including Bear Creek 8.6
miles to the north, Bear Pen Run 17 miles to the east, and Bear Hill 20 miles to the northeast. A
pillar with the name Bear Rocks is located 33 miles to the south-southwest in Grant County, West
Virginia.
Change application of Emmord Branch: stream; 1.8 mi. long; heads 1 mi. W of Edgewood, 1.3
mi. SSW of McComas at 39°25’09”N, 76°18’44”W, flows SW through Aberdeen Proving Ground
into Reardon Inlet; named for past landowners and farmers; Harford County, Maryland; 39°23’59”N,
76°19’42”W; USGS map – Edgewood 1:24,000; Not: Reardon Inlet.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.399784&p_longi=-76.328455
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.4191&p_longi=-76.31213
Proposal: to change the application of a name
Map: USGS Edgewood 1:24,000
Proponent: BGN staff
Administrative area: Aberdeen Proving Ground
Previous BGN Action: Emmord Branch (BGN 1987)
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Emmord Branch (FID 588407)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Emmord Branch (USGS 2011); Reardon Inlet (USGS 2014, 2016; FEMA 2016)
Case Summary: This proposal would amend the application of the name Emmord Branch for a
stream in Harford County. The name was approved by the BGN in 1987, but it is currently applied
to the stream that flows through Reardon Inlet (a tidal bay) and into the Gunpowder River. The
proposed change, which was initiated by the BGN staff as a result of an inquiry from the Harford
County Department of Public Works, would move the mouth coordinates upstream to where it enters
the north end of Reardon Inlet. Part of the stream flows through Aberdeen Proving Ground.
The 1987 proposal was submitted by the Chief Geographer of the National Ocean Service, who
stated that the name Emmord Branch was in local use. It reportedly refers to a family that owned a
farm adjacent to the stream.
The name Emmord Branch is labeled on a 2011 USTopo quadrangle; however, updated editions
from 2014 and 2016 apply the name Reardon Inlet to the entire stream (based on an erroneous
National Hydrography Dataset application), as does a 2016 FEMA map.
Ginseng Rock Shelter: pillar; approx. 15 ft. high, 25 ft. wide; N of Steep Run on the S slope of
Ginseng Hill 1.2 mi. SE of Sang Run; name is associated with Ginseng Hill; Garrett County,
Maryland; 39°33’28”N, 79°24’16”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.557768&p_longi=-79.40442
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None

 10
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Ginseng Rock Shelter is proposal for a pillar on the south slopes of
Ginseng Hill.
A query of GNIS found four features with “rock shelter” as a generic. These are classified as locales
based on archaeological evidence documenting historic or prehistoric human use. There is no
evidence that the proposed Ginseng Rock Shelter was used by humans.
Ginseng Spring: spring; located N of Steep Run on the S slope of Ginseng Hill, 1.1 mi. SE of Sang
Run; the name is associated with Ginseng Hill; Garrett County, Maryland; 39°33’27”N,
79°24’21”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.557598&p_longi=-79.405939
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Wayne’s Spring (proponent)
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Ginseng Spring is proposed for a spring on the south slopes of
Ginseng Hill. Water from the spring flows over the proposed Sinking Falls (q.v.). The proponent
calls the spring Wayne’s Spring after a former local resident but does not know if the individual is
still alive. When informed of the Commemorative Names Policy, he offered the name Ginseng
Spring. A short road located less than a mile to the northeast and on the north side of Ginseng Hill
and along an unnamed tributary of Ginseng Run is called Ginseng Springs Road.
Lower Steep Run Cave: cave; 25 ft. long, 10 ft. vertical extent; near the confluence of Steep Run
and the Youghiogheny River; so named because it is connected to Steep Run Cave; Garrett County,
Maryland; 39°33’24”N, 79°24’26”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.556691&p_longi=-79.407141
Proposal: new name for unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: Youghiogheny Scenic & Wild River (Maryland DNR)
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: Lower Steep Run Cave (Maryland Geological Survey website, 2017)
Case Summary: This proposal would apply the new name Lower Steep Run Cave to a cave near the
confluence of Steep Run and the Youghiogheny River in Garrett County. The proponent owns the
land on which the cave is located. The cave is 25 feet long and has 10 feet of vertical extent.

 11
In 2006, members of Baltimore Grotto (a caving club) discovered the cave while surveying the
nearby Steep Run Cave. The proponent reports that while cavers were in each cave, they could hear
each other but not find any visible connections.
Sandstone Natural Bridge: arch; approx. 15 ft. high; on the W side of Upper Ford Hill 1.3 mi. NE
of Hoyes Run; the name is descriptive of the rock forming the arch; Garrett County, Maryland;
39°32’46”N, 79°24’15”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.54605&p_longi=-79.40404
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No reccord
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Sandstone Natural Bridge is proposed for a 15-foot-high arch on the
west side of Upper Ford Hill. The arch is formed in sandstone of the Pottsville Formation which
was deposited in the Pennsylvania Period.
Sheep Rock: pillar; approx. 30 ft. high; on the E side of Upper Ford Hill 1.5 mi. NEE of Hoyes Run;
Garrett County, Maryland; 39°32’49”N, 79°23’57”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.54693&p_longi=-79.39903
Proposal: to make official a name in local use
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Sheep Rock (80 years, according to proponent)
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the name Sheep Rock for a 30-foot-high pillar on
the east side of Upper Ford Hill. The proponent owns the land on which the pillar is located. He
reports that local residents claim the name Sheep Rock has been in use for about 80 years and that
“apparently it reminded [them] of good goat habitat, hence the name.” A query of GNIS found no
nearby features with “Sheep” in their names.
Sinking Falls: falls; approx. 10 ft. high; on the N side of Steep Run, 1.1 mi. SE of Sang Run; the
name is descriptive of the falls where water sinks underground; Garrett County, Maryland;
39°33’25”N, 79°24’25”W; USGS map – Sang Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.55685&p_longi=-79.407
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found

 12
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Sinking Falls is proposed for a 10-foot-high falls north of Steep Run
and east of its mouth at the Youghiogheny River. Water that flows over the falls sinks underground
at its base. According to the proponent, water from the proposed Steep Run Spring (q.v.) does not
flow over the falls. The falls is on an unnamed stream that flows out of a spring proposed as
Ginseng Spring (q.v.).
Steep Run Spring: spring; on the N side of Steep Run, 1.1 mi. SE of Sang Run; the name is
associated with Steep Run; Garrett County, Maryland; 39°33’24”N, 79°24’27”W; USGS map – Sang
Run 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.556541&p_longi=-79.407432
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Sang Run 1:24,000
Proponent: Toby Turpin; Silver Spring, MD
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new name Steep Run Spring is proposed for a spring north of Steep Run and
east of its mouth at the Youghiogheny River. According to the proponent, water that flows over the
proposed Sinking Falls (q.v.) does not come from this spring.
MASSACHUSETTS
Marys Brook: stream; approx. 0.9 mi. long; in the Town of Acton, heads at 42°28’57”N,
71°26’06”W, flows generally S to enter Coles Brook 0.9 mi. E of Kelly Corner; the name
commemorates Mary S. Michelman (1960-2010), environmental activist and founder of the Acton
Stream Teams; Middlesex County, Massachusetts; 42°28’21”N, 71°26’11”W; USGS map –
Maynard 1:24,000; Not: Mary’s Brook.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.47243&p_longi=-71.4364
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.48256&p_longi=-71.4349
Proposal: to make official a new commemorative name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Maynard 1:24,000
Proponent: Bettina Abe; Acton, MA
Administrative area: Acton Arboretum
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Mary’s Brook (proponent and locals)
Published: Mary’s Brook (Acton Arboretum website, 2017; Acton GIS Viewer Map, 2011;
road sign; The Beacon, 2012)
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the commemorative name Marys Brook for an
approximately 0.9-mile-long unnamed tributary of Coles Brook in the Town of Acton. The stream
flows through the Acton Arboretum public conservation land.
The name would commemorate Mary S. Michelman (1960-2010), environmental activist and
founder of the Acton Stream Teams. The proponent states that Ms. Michelman “assiduously worked
to keep Acton's drinking water clean and raise awareness of our streams and rivers and to keep them
free from pollution”. She received a posthumous Environmental Merit Lifetime Achievement

 13
Award from the EPA, and was praised as “a pioneer of environmental force in the Town of Acton”
by the chair of the Town’s Board of Selectmen. In 2012, the selectmen voted in favor of naming the
stream Mary’s Brook. A bronze plaque was placed on the handrail of the bridge spanning the stream
in the arboretum, and metal signs were placed along Minot Avenue identifying the stream’s location.
Local maps were also updated to reflect the new name. The proponent contacted the BGN in 2011
about making the name official but was advised of the five-year waiting period for commemorative
names.
MONTANA
Shirley Mountain: summit; elevation 4,649 ft.; located 6.9 mi. WSW of Lincoln, 0.85 mi. WSW of
Long Point; the name honors Shirley Jo (Lewis) Feeback (1928-2010), who spent her summers at the
summit; Powell County, Montana; Sec 25, T14N, R10W, Montana Principal Meridian; 46°56’33”N,
112°48’21”W; USGS map – Moose Creek 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=46.942588&p_longi=-112.805704
Proposal: to make official a commemorative name in local use
Map: USGS Moose Creek 1:24,000
Proponent: Derek Feeback; Libby, MT
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Shirley Mountain (proponent)
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the name Shirley Mountain for a 4,649-foot
unnamed summit located west-southwest of Lincoln in Powell County. The name would
commemorate Shirley Jo (Lewis) Feeback (1928-2010), the proponent’s late mother. The proponent
describes Mrs. Feeback as a life-long educator and “the foundation of our family with her strong will
and passion” and also “a positive influence for her many friends and students.” He also states that
she spent her summers at the summit, where she picked flowers and berries while enjoying the view
of Blackfoot River valley, and that the family has referred to the summit as Shirley Mountain for 60
years. In 2010, Mrs. Feeback’s ashes were scattered at the feature and a memorial headstone
honoring her life is now located at the summit. Mrs. Feeback was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and
lived in Missouri and Texas for much of her life. The land is currently owned by the husband of the
late Mrs. Feeback.
GNIS lists another summit named Shirley Mountain in Ravalli County, approximately 90 miles to
the southwest.
NEVADA
Engeler Peak: summit; elevation 8,485 ft.; located 12 mi. SE of Denio, 1.2 mi. SSE of Trident
Peak; the name commemorates Otto (1924-1978) and Elizabeth (1927-1994) Engeler who settled in
the area in the 1950s; Humboldt County, Nevada; Sec 8, T46N, R32E, Mount Diablo Meridian;
41°53’11”N, 118°24’36”W; USGS map – Trident Peak 1:24,000; Not: Bilk Creek Mountains High
Point, Bilk Creek Mountains HP.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=41.886385&p_longi=-118.409979
Proposal: new commemorative name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Trident Peak 1:24,000
Proponent: Connie Marie Engeler; Glenwood Springs, CO
Previous BGN Action: None

 14
Administrative area: Bureau of Land Management
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: Bilk Creek Mountains High Point (peakbagger website, 2017); Bilk Creek
Mountains HP (summitpost website, 2017)
Case Summary: This proposal is to apply the new name Engeler Peak to an 8,485-foot unnamed
summit in the Bilk Creek Mountains southeast of Denio in Humboldt County. The area is managed
by the Bureau of Land Management.
The name is intended to commemorate Otto (1924-1978) and Elizabeth (1927-1994) Engeler, Swiss
immigrants who in the late 1950s settled in the Kings River Valley, approximately 28 miles southsoutheast of the summit, where they cultivated land for a farming operation. The Engelers drilled
wells, designed and utilized efficient farming equipment, and implemented dry-crop farming
techniques and an irrigation system that turned the desert land into arable crop land. The proponent,
who is the daughter of the Engelers, states that Mrs. Engeler also established the first Literary Club
in the valley and that she was “instrumental in inspiring our family outings.” The proposal also
included a letter that the Governor of Nevada had presented to the Engelers praising them for their
work.
The summit is officially unnamed although it is referred to as Bilk Creek Mountains High Point and
Bilk Creek Mountains HP on the peakbagger and summitpost websites.
The NSBGN forwarded the proposal to the Humboldt County Commissioners, but no response was
received, which is presumed to imply a lack of opinion. The NBGN recommends approval of the
name.
George Ridge: ridge; elevation 4,893 ft.; 0.6 mi. long; on land managed by the Bureau of Land
Management, in the Bunejug Mountains, extending S from an unnamed peak proposed to be named
Wheat Peak (q.v.), 1.8 mi. NW of Simpson Pass; the name commemorates Wuzzie George (c.18801983), a Stillwater Paiute woman who preserved Paiute customs through her work with Nevada
anthropologist Margaret Wheat; Secs 27&28,33&34, T17N, R30E, Mount Diablo Meridian;
Churchill County, Nevada; 39°18’04”N, 118°36’41”W; USGS map – Bunejug Mountains 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.301028&p_longi=-118.611515
Proposal: new commemorative name for unnamed feature
Map: Bunejug Mountains, 1:24,000
Proponent: David S. Johnson; Carson City, NV
Administrative area: Bureau of Land Management
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal would apply the new commemorative name George Ridge to an
unnamed 0.6-mile-long ridge on Bureau of Land Management land in the Bunejug Mountains in
Churchill County. The proposal was submitted in conjunction with another for Wheat Peak (q.v.).
The new name would commemorate Wuzzie George (c.1880-1983), a Stillwater Paiute woman who
helped preserve and teach Paiute traditional customs and worked closely with Nevada anthropologist
Margaret “Peg” Wheat. Wuzzie George (her first name is an anglicization of her Paiute name,
which means “small animal”) grew up near Fallon, approximately 15 miles northwest of the ridge.

 15
She learned traditional Paiute ways from her grandparents and married Jimmy George, a craftsman
and shaman. Beginning in the 1950s, the Georges worked with Margaret Wheat to document Paiute
culture and traditions. Wuzzie demonstrated pine nut harvesting and fur blanket and plant fiber
weaving, and the use of willows and reeds to construct houses, boats, duck decoys, and cradleboards.
She also taught her knowledge and skills to her children and grandchildren. Many of the items she
made are in the Nevada State Museum in Carson City and the Churchill County Museum in Fallon.
The Nevada State Board on Geographic Names (NSBGN) minutes indicate that the proponent
served with Peg Wheat and Wuzzie George on a survey team led by Don and Kay Fowler. The
proponent stated that the Fowlers were in support of the proposal, but when contacted by the NBGN,
the Fowlers stated that the proponent had not contacted them and that they were unfamiliar with the
proponent. Furthermore, the Fowlers raised concerns about commemorating George with a
placename, stating that they have never encountered a native placename that referenced a person.
During its deliberations, some NSBGN members expressed concerns about the summit being named
for Wheat (Wheat Peak, q.v.), with the descending ridge being named for George. They also echoed
the Fowlers’ concerns that it is not customary for local tribes to name features after individuals and
that a person’s name is put to rest when they die. However, the granddaughter of Wuzzie George
attended the NSBGN meeting and provided family support for the name. The Fowlers then stated
they would have no objection.
The summit does not have an official name but is referenced as Bunejug Mountains High Point on
the Peakbagger website and as Bunejug Mountains HP on Google Earth. The name Bunejug
Mountains comes from a mispronunciation of “junebug” by one of Wheat’s daughters in the 1960s.
The NSBGN recommends that the proposal be approved. As part of its review process, the NBGN
contacted the Churchill County Commissioners for an opinion; no response was received, which is
presumed to indicate a lack of opinion. The NSBGN also contacted the following federally
recognized tribes with an interest in Churchill County: the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone
Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation; the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon
Reservation and Colony; the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation; the RenoSparks Indian Colony; the Walker River Paiute Tribe of the Walker River Reservation; and the
Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony and Campbell Ranch. The Fort McDermitt Paiute
and Shoshone Tribes replied with no objection to the proposal; the Walker River Paiute Tribe replied
in support of the proposal. A query of GNIS found no nearby features with names that include
“George.”
Wheat Peak: summit; elevation 4,896 ft.; on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management; the
high point of the Bunejug Mountains 1.8 mi. NW of Simpson Pass, 3 mi. NE of Bass Flat; the name
commemorates Margaret “Peg” Wheat (1908-1988), ethnographer, geologist, and anthropologist
who recorded the traditional arts and sacred beliefs of the northern Nevada Paiute tribes; Secs
27&28,33&34, T17N, R30E, Mount Diablo Meridian; Churchill County, Nevada; 39°18’04”N,
118°36’41”W; USGS map – Bunejug Mountains 1:24,000; Not: Bunejug Mountains High Point.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=39.301028&p_longi=-118.611515
Proposal: new commemorative name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Bunejug Mountains 1:24,000
Proponent: David S. Johnson; Carson City, NV
Administrative area: Bureau of Land Management
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record

 16
Local Usage: None found
Published: Bunejug Mountains High Point (Peakbagger website); Bunejug Mountains HP
(Google Earth)
Case Summary: This proposal would apply the new commemorative name Wheat Peak to the
unnamed highest point of the Bunejug Mountains in Churchill County, and on land managed by the
Bureau of Land Management. The name would commemorate Margaret “Peg” Wheat (1908-1988),
an ethnographer, geologist, and anthropologist who spent her career documenting traditional arts and
sacred beliefs of the northern Nevada Paiute tribes. Largely self-taught, Wheat began conducting
independent ethnographic studies with Northern Paiute peoples near Stillwater and Fallon. She first
worked with Alice Steve, a Paiute woman who was knowledgeable about traditional practices and
ways of life. During this time, Wheat collected Paiute place-names.
Beginning in the 1950s, Wheat and graduate students that she mentored began working with Alice
Steve’s friend Wuzzie George, who also had knowledge of traditional Paiute ways of life. After
Steve’s death in the 1960s, Wheat intensified her documentation of George’s traditional knowledge.
(The name George Ridge (q.v.) is proposed for the ridge that descends from the proposed Wheat
Peak.)
Wheat’s notes, photographs, recordings, and films became the basis for her 1967 work Survival Arts
of the Primitive Paiutes, which is still a well-respected text on the traditions of the Northern Paiute.
The 1981 Smithsonian Folklife film Tule Technology: Northern Paiute Uses of Marsh Resources in
Western Nevada used some of Wheats footage along with newer footage of members of the George
family. Wheat received an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Nevada in 1980.
While renting Wheat’s Carson City home, the proponent came to know her, noting that in addition to
her outstanding ethnographic and archaeologic work, she was also a mentor to other women in the
sciences.
During its deliberations, some members of the Nevada Board on Geographic Names (NSBGN)
expressed concerns about the summit being named for Wheat, with the descending ridge being
named for George. However, the NSBGN voted to recommend approval of the name. As part of its
review process, the NSBGN contacted the Churchill County Commissioners for an opinion; no
response was received, which is presumed to indicate a lack of opinion. The NSBGN contacted the
following federally recognized tribes with an interest in Churchill County: the Fort McDermitt
Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation; the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of
the Fallon Reservation and Colony; the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation;
the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony; the Walker River Paiute Tribe of the Walker River Reservation; and
the Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony and Campbell Ranch. No replies were received
which is presumed to indicate a lack of opinion. (The Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes
replied with no objection to the George Ridge proposal; the Walker River Paiute Tribe replied in
support of the George Ridge proposal.) A query of GNIS found no nearby features with names that
include “Wheat.”A query of GNIS found no nearby features with names that include “Wheat.”
NEW YORK
Change application of Bog River: stream; 26 mi. long; heads in the Town of Long Lake 0.8 mi. E
of Sabattis at 44°05’13”N, 74°34’57”W, flows SW then NW through Lows Lake then generally ENE
then NE through the Town of Clifton, the Town of Colton, and the Town of Piercefield into Tupper
Lake W of South Bay; the name presumably refers to boggy areas along the stream; St. Lawrence
County and Hamilton County, New York; 44°06’30”N, 74°33’11”W; USGS map – Piercefield
(mouth) 1:24,000; Not: Little Tupper Lake Stream, Round Lake Outlet (BGN 1987) - in part.

 17
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=44.1288889&p_longi=-74.545
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=44.0788889&p_longi=74.6852778

Change application of Round Lake Outlet: stream; 2.5 mi.; heads in the Town of Long Lake at
Round Lake at 44°05’13”N, 74°34’57”W, flows NE through the Town of Piercefield into the Bog
River 1.5 mi. SW of South Bay on Tupper Lake; named because it flows out of Round Lake; St.
Lawrence County and Hamilton County, New York; 44°06’30”N, 74°33’11”W; USGS map – Little
Tupper Lake (mouth), 1:24,000; Not: Round Lake Stream.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=44.1083333&p_longi=74.5530556
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=44.0869444&p_longi=-74.5825
Proposal: to change applications to reflect local use
Map: USGS Piercefield (mouth) 1:24,000
Proponent: BGN staff
Administrative area: Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest / Round Lake Wilderness / Five Ponds
Wilderness (NY State Department of Environmental Conservation)
Previous BGN Action: Bog River (BGN 1987) - in part; Round Lake Outlet (BGN 1987) - in
part
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Bog River (FID 944392) - in part; Round Lake Outlet (FID 975810) - in part
Local Usage: Bog River (Northern New York Waterfalls website, 2017; whitewater websites);
Round Lake Outlet (whitewater websites)
Published: Bog River (USGS 1907, 1919, 1931, 1954, 1968, 1985, 1990, 1999; AMS 1948,
1951, 1953, 1961; FEMA 1984; NYSDEC web maps, 2017); Bog River - in part (USGS 2010,
2013, 2016; NYSDEC web maps, 2017); Little Tupper Lake Stream (Wallace, 1872, “Guide
to the Adirondacks” [in Smith, The Modern Babes in the Woods]); Little Tupper Lake Stream
(in part) (Beers, 1865 Topographical Atlas of St. Lawrence County); Round Lake Outlet - in
part (USGS 2010, 2013, 2016; NYSDEC web maps, 2017)
Case Summary: These proposals, initiated by the BGN staff while researching the proposal for Bog
River Falls (q.v.), are to change the application of the name Bog River and to change the name of a
part of Round Lake Outlet to Bog River to agree with local use. Both Bog River and Round Lake
Outlet were 1987 BGN decisions.
The streams in question flow through the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest, the Round Lake Wilderness,
and the Five Ponds Wilderness, all managed by the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYSDEC). The proposals only affect the lowest portion of the stream which is
located in the town of Piercefield.
The name Bog River was applied to the entire length of the primary stream on USGS and other
Federal maps published between 1907 and 1985; this agrees with the proposal submitted here. A
workcard prepared by the BGN staff in 1955 also placed the mouth of Bog River at Tupper Lake.
However, in 1987, an employee of the USGS Water Resources Division in New York wrote a memo
to the USGS Eastern Mapping Center recommending that the new name Round Lake Outlet be
applied from Round Lake to Lake Tupper and that the mouth of Bog River be amended so that it
would become a tributary of Round Lake Outlet. No maps or documentation were provided to
support the changes. Despite the BGN’s approval, USGS topographic maps published in 1990 and
1999 continued to label the main stream Bog River (with the portion upstream of the confluence
labeled Round Lake Stream rather than Round Lake Outlet).

 18
In an 1872 guide to the area, the name Little Tupper Lake Stream is used for the stream flowing
into Bog River. Several documents from the late 1800s and early 1900s (“Report of a Survey for a
Railroad Route from Schenectady to Ogdensburgh,” 1868; “Report of the Topographical Society
of the Adirondack Wilderness of New York,” 1874; “Report of the New York State Water Storage
Commission,” 1902) describe the stream as “Little Tupper’s lake stream,” “Little Tupper lake
stream, or outlet,” or “Little Tupper lake stream.” Most of these refer to Bog River as a separate
stream that flows into Tupper Lake. The Beers 1865 Topographical Atlas of St. Lawrence County
shows the name Little Tupper Lake Stream for both the stream proposed as Round Lake Outlet
and the lowest part of the proposed Bog River that flows into Tupper Lake.
The names approved by the BGN, including the correct name Round Lake Outlet, did not appear on
USGS maps until the USTopo was published in 2011. The NYSDEC uses both Bog River and
Round Lake Outlet (the latter name is presumed to come from geospatial data from the National
Hydrography Dataset). A 2009 Adirondack Park map labels the day use area near the falls as “Bog
River.”

Several whitewater webpages describe a route along “Round Lake Outlet” from “Round Lake to Bog
River. . . [ending at] Bog River Falls.” It is unclear if this use of Round Lake Outlet refers to the
entire stream to Lake Tupper or if the lower part of the stream is referred to as Bog River.
Bog River Falls: falls; 30 ft. high; in Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest in the Town of Piercefield at the
mouth of the Bog River (q.v.), 3.8 mi. E of Horseshoe Lake; the name is associated with that of the
stream on which the falls is located; St. Lawrence County, New York; 44°07’43”N, 74°32’42”W;

 19
USGS map – Piercefield 1:25,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=44.128641&p_longi=-74.544951
Proposal: to make official a name in local use
Map: USGS Piercefield 1:25,000
Proponent: David Schryver; Dexter, NY
Administrative area: Horseshoe Pond Wild Forest (NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation)
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Bog River Falls (proponent, Town of Piercefield, NY State Department of
Environmental Conservation, many years)
Published: Bog River Falls (Northern New York Waterfalls website, 2017 [by the proponent];
Tupper Lake tourism website, 2017; Dig the Falls website, 2017; Waterfalls of the
Northeastern United States website, 2017; Adirondack North Country Scenic Byways website,
2011; “St. Lawrence County A Map for all Seasons,” 2002; St. Lawrence County Highway
Map, 1997; Wallace, 1872, “Guide to the Adirondacks” [in Smith, The Modern Babes in the
Woods])
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the name Bog River Falls for an unnamed 30-foot
falls at the mouth of the Bog River (q.v.) in the Town of Pitcairn. The falls empty into Lake Tupper.
The proponent reports that the name is in long term local use and that it is associated with that of the
stream on which the falls is located. The location is also within the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest,
managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and within
Adirondack Park.
The name Bog River Falls appears at a local tourism website and on several waterfall websites. The
falls are annotated as “rapids” on USGS topographic maps published in 1990 and 1999. The name
Bog River Falls is used in the earliest published reference found, an 1872 guide to the area.
While researching this proposal, the BGN staff discovered that in 1987 the BGN approved the name
Round Lake Outlet (q.v.) for the stream that flows from Round Lake to Lake Tupper; thus, the
proposed Bog River Falls is located on Round Lake Outlet, not on Bog River as the proponent states.
When advised of the discrepancy, the proponent noted that local usage has always been Bog River
and so related proposals were initiated by the BGN staff to amend the applications of Bog River and
Round Lake Outlet.
The Supervisor of the Town of Piercefield and the St. Lawrence County Administrator support the
proposal for Bog River Falls, as does the regional natural resource supervisor of the NYSDEC. The
proponent provided letters of support from New York State Senator Joseph A. Griffo and New York
State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush.
Muskrat Pond Outlet: stream; 0.7 mi. long; heads in the Town of Otsego at Muskrat Pond 2.9 mi.
W of Otsego Lake at 42°46’19”N, 74°57’26”W, flows NW then SW to enter Fly Creek; named in
association with Muskrat Pond; Otsego County, New York; 42°46’25”N, 74°58’01”W; USGS map –
Richfield Springs 1:24,000.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.77358&p_longi=-74.96694
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.77184&p_longi=-74.95725
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Richfield Springs 1:24,000
Proponent: Alex Kleban; Fly Creek, NY
Administrative area: None

 20
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to apply the new name Muskrat Pond Outlet to a 0.7-mile-long
stream that drains from Muskrat Pond into Fly Creek in Otsego County. The feature is located west
of Otsego Lake in the Town of Otsego. The proponent states that the feature “drains Muskrat Pond
which is a named pond and converges with Fly Creek so it should be named.”
A query of GNIS found no nearby features with the word “Muskrat” in their names besides Muskrat
Pond, the source of the stream.
Singing Waters Falls: falls; 12 ft. high; on Fish Creek in Singing Waters Park in the Town of Greig,
2.4 mi. SW of Brantingham; the name is associated with that of the county park in which the falls are
located; Lewis County, New York; 43°39’46”N, 75°19’22”W; USGS map – Brantingham 1:24,000;
Not: Singing Waters, Singing Waters Park Falls
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=43.66291&p_longi=-75.32274
Proposal: to make official a name in local use
Map: USGS Brantingham 1:24,000
Proponent: David Schryver; Dexter, NY
Administrative area: Singing Waters Park [Lewis County]
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Singing Waters Falls (proponent)
Published: Singing Waters (Adirondacks Tug Hill Region brochure, undated); Singing Waters
Falls (Northern New York Waterfalls website, 2017 [by the proponent]); Singing Waters Park
Falls (Bobbie’s Waterfall website, 2015)
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the name Singing Waters Falls for a 12-foot high
falls on Fish Creek in the Town of Greig. The falls is located in Singing Waters Park which is
owned by Lewis County. The proponent states that the name of the falls comes from the name of the
park, which is presumably a poetic description of the sound of the falls. He has documented the falls
on his Northern New York Waterfall website.
The falls are named Singing Waters Park Falls on a New York waterfall website not run by the
proponent. An undated tourism brochure for the Tug Hill region of the Adirondack Mountains uses
the name Singing Waters for the falls.
The Town Board of the Town of Greig and the Lewis County Board of Legislators support the
proposal, as do New York Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush and New York Senator Joseph Griffo.
Change Sixmile Creek to Six Mile Creek: stream; 20 mi. long; heads in the Town of Dryden 0.7
mi. ENE of Yellow Barn Hill, 2.9 mi. WNW of Dryden Lake at 42°28’03”N, 76°19’44”W, flows S,
W, and NW through Yellow Barn State Forest, Hammond Hill State Forest, the Town of Caroline,
the Town of Ithaca, and the City of Ithaca to enter Cayuga Inlet 1 mi. S of the mouth of Fall Creek;
the name comes from a trail used by Native Americans which crossed the stream six miles from the
Cascadilla Creek crossing in Ithaca; Tompkins County, New York; 42°26’47”N, 76°30’43”W; USGS
map – Ithaca West 1:24,000 (mouth); Not: Notantakto Creek, Sixmile Creek, Six-Mile Creek,
Teegastoweas Creek.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=42.4464617&p_longi=-

 21
76.5118856&fid=965323
Proposal: to change spelling to recognize local use
Map: USGS Ithaca West 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Tim Larkin; Broooktondale, NY
Administrative area: Yellow Barn State Forest / Hammond Hill State Forest
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Sixmile Creek (FID 965323)
Local Usage: Six Mile Creek (175 years according to proponent)
Published: Notantakto Creek (Beauchamp, 1907, Aboriginal Place Names of New York);
Sixmile Creek (USGS 1900, 1906, 1949, 1969, 1978, 1986, 1992, 2010, 2013, 2016; AMS
1950, 1958, 1962, 1965; FEMA 1981, 1985; A History of the Town of Caroline, Kone, 1994;
Ruth's Waterfalls website, 2005; Sixmile Creek Partners report, 2007; Ithaca Trails webpage,
2017); Six Mile Creek (FEMA 1985; An Atlas Of The State of New York, Burr, 1840;
Gazetteer of the State of New York, French, 1860; New topographical atlas of Tompkins
County, New York, Stone and Stewart, 1866; Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York,
Selkreg, 1894; Atlas of the State of New York, Bein, 1895; Ithaca, Abt, 1926; A History of the
Town of Caroline, Kone, 1994; City Code of the City of Ithaca, 2017; Town Code of the Town
of Ithaca, 2017; City of Ithaca website, 2017; Finger Lakes Land Trust website, 2017; Friends
of Six Mile Creek website, 2017; Six Mile Creek Watershed website, 2017 [by the
proponent]); Six-Mile Creek (History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties,
New York, 1879; Finger Lakes Land Trust website, 2017); Teegastoweas Creek (“Map of
Ulysses Township”, de Witt, 1790)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the spelling of the name of Sixmile Creek, a 20-milelong stream in Tompkins County, to Six Mile Creek. The stream flows though the Town of Dryden,
the Town of Caroline, the Town of Ithaca, and the City of Ithaca. The proponent states that the
name Six Mile Creek has been used locally for at least 175 years and provided evidence of its usage
until USGS maps labeled it Sixmile Creek in 1900. A historic marker in the Town of Caroline gives
the origin of the name: “The ancient Indians ‘Warrior’s Trail’ to Owego crossed the creek nearby --6 miles from the Cascadilla Creek crossing in Ithaca.”
The first published name of the stream was Teegastoweas Creek, which appeared on a 1790 map of
Ulysses Township (the township was later subdivided). Throughout the 1800s, the name of the
stream was consistently Six Mile Creek except for one instance of Six-Mile Creek in 1879. FEMA
maps from 1981 and 1985 use the name Sixmile Creek although one 1985 map uses Six Mile Creek.
Recent local sources have continued to use Six Mile Creek, although there are some instances of
Sixmile Creek and Six-Mile Creek. A locale with the name Six Mile Creek Vineyard is located
along the stream.
The City Code of the City of Ithaca includes numerous references to Six Mile Creek when referring
to the stream and the watershed; it also mentions the Six Mile Creek Natural Area and Six Mile
Creek Gorge, neither of which are in GNIS, as well as the Six Mile Creek Advisory Committee,
which was established in 1993 by the city council. The city’s website uses Six Mile Creek, although
a page links to a report of the Sixmile Creek Partners which uses Sixmile Creek. The Town Code of
the Town of Ithaca consistently uses the name Six Mile Creek.
The Caroline Town Historian, who published the 1994 A History of the Town of Caroline, supports
the proposed change (the 1994 publication used both Sixmile Creek and Six Mile Creek).

 22
Of the 26 streams in New York recorded in GNIS with names such as Sixmile Creek (e.g. Twomile
Creek, Threemile Creek, etc.), only two are in the same format as the proposed name: Three Mile
Creek in Jefferson County, and Quartermile Creek in Schuyler County.
Taylor Creek: stream; 1 mi. long; heads in the Town of Otsego 2 mi. SE of Canadarago Lake at
42°46’00”N, 74°59’34”W, flows generally E through Taylortown and a Natural Resources
Conservation Easement to enter Fly Creek 1.2 mi. SE of Panther Mountain; the name commemorates
the Taylor family who settled in the area around 1800, especially Erastus Taylor (1771-1856);
Otsego County, New York; 42°45’56”N, 74°58’33”W; USGS map – Richfield Springs 1:24,000.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.76561&p_longi=-74.97578
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.766683&p_longi=-74.992852
Proposal: to make official a commemorative name in local use
Map: USGS Richfield Springs 1:24,000
Proponent: Alex Kleban; Fly Creek, NY
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Taylor Creek (proponent)
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the commemorative name Taylor Creek for a onemile-long unnamed tributary of Fly Creek. The stream, which flows through Taylortown and
through a Natural Resources Conservation Easement, is located southeast of Canadarago Lake in the
Town of Otsego.
The proposed name would commemorate the Taylor family who settled on a 500-acre-portion of the
Town of Otsego. It would especially commemorate Erastus Taylor (1771-1856) who was the first of
the family to settle in the area. The Taylor children all settled on different parts of the plot of land
that is now known as Taylortown.
Tripp Creek: stream; 1.9 mi. long; heads in the Town of Otsego 2.8 mi. W of Otsego Lake at
42°45’09”N, 74°57’35”W, flows S then SW to enter Fly Creek; named in association with Tripp Hill
Road; Otsego County, New York; 42°43’57”N, 74°58’33”W; USGS map – Cooperstown 1:24,000
(mouth).
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.73249&p_longi=-74.97583
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.75257&p_longi=-74.95959
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Cooperstown 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Alex Kleban; Fly Creek, NY
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to apply the new name Tripp Creek to a 1.9-mile-long unnamed
tributary of Fly Creek. The feature is located west of Otsego Lake in the Town of Otsego. The
proposed name is in association with Tripp Hill Road, along which a portion of the stream flows.
The proponent reports that a nearby summit is known as “Tripp Hill,” although no published
evidence has been found to support that claim.

 23
West Branch Fly Creek: stream; 4.3 mi. long; heads in the Town of Otsego 1 mi. E of Canadarago
Lake at 42°48’07”N, 74°58’50”W, flows generally SSE through a Natural Resources Conservation
Easement to enter Fly Creek 1.5 mi. E of Panther Mountain; named in association with Fly Creek;
Otsego County, New York; 42°45’31”N, 74°58’23”W; USGS map – Richfield Springs 1:24,000.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.75861&p_longi=-74.97302
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=42.80204&p_longi=-74.98059
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Richfield Springs 1:24,000
Proponent: Alex Kleban; Fly Creek, NY
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to apply the new associative name West Branch Fly Creek to a 4.3mile-long stream that flows south through a Natural Resources Conservation Easement and into Fly
Creek in Otsego County. The feature is located east of Canadarago Lake in the Town of Otsego.
NORTH CAROLINA
*** Note: the following proposal has been amended from Jincys Spring at the request of the
proponent
Jincys Creek: stream; 0.9 mi. long; in the City of Winston-Salem, heads 1.3 mi. SSW of Frontis at
36°02’49”N, 80°18’45”W, flows SSW into an unnamed stream 1 mi. SE of Atwood; the name
commemorates Jincy Alspaugh Griffith (1825-1855), who lived near the stream; Forsyth County,
North Carolina; 36°02’14”N, 80°18’55”W; USGS map – Winston-Salem West 1:24,000.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=36.037222&p_longi=-80.315398
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=36.0469&p_longi=-80.31251
Proposal: new commemorative name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Winston-Salem West 1:24,000
Proponent: David Tilley; Winston Salem, NC
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: The new commemorative name Jincys Creek is proposed for a 0.9-mile-long stream
in the City of Winston-Salem in southern Forsyth County. The name would commemorate Jincy
Alspaugh Griffith (1825-1855), who lived near the source of the stream with her husband Alexander
in the 1840s. Mrs. Griffth’s grandfather founded the nearby Bethel Methodist Church where she is
buried. The Griffith family and its descendants have owned land near the source of the stream since
1846, and the intended honoree’s great-granddaughter resides there currently.
Regency Lake: reservoir; approx. 9 acres; named for the development in which the feature is
located; Iredell County, North Carolina; 35°34’19”N, 80°53’05”W; USGS map – Lake Norman
North 1:24,000; Not: Auto Storage Lake Number One.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=35.5718074&p_longi=-80.8847969
Proposal: change name to recognize local and documented use

 24
Map: USGS Lake Norman North 1:24,000
Proponent: Jean Engelke; Mooresville, NC
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Auto Storage Lake Number One (FID 999097)
Local Usage: Regency Lake (real estate listings)
Published: Auto Storage Lake Number One (USGS 2011, 2013, 2016; USACE Dams and
Reservoirs Inventory 1981)
Case Summary: This proposal would change the name of Auto Storage Lake Number One, a nineacre reservoir near Mooresville in Iredell County, to Regency Lake. The proponent, who serves as
vice-president of the Regency Lake Village/Lakeside Farm Dam and Lake Maintenance Association,
states that the current name is not in local use and does not reflect the association’s legal documents.
The association actively maintains the lake and dam. A number of real estate websites list properties
“on Regency Lake.”
The body of water is not formally named in the association’s articles of incorporation, nor in the
declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions (1998), or on the 1970 plat map of Regency
Lake Village. Auto Storage Company was a co-signer to the 1998 declaration; it appears that at that
time the company owned property abutting the lake. It is unclear what this company was or how its
name came to be applied to the geographic feature. (Another reservoir with the name Auto Storage
Lake Number Two is located less than half a mile to the northeast. No proposal has been received to
address that name.)
The entry in GNIS for Auto Storage Lake Number One was collected from the 1981 U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers inventory of dams and reservoirs. The current National Inventory of Dams
(NID) lists the dam as Regency Lake Dam. (NID lists the dam of Auto Storage Lake Number Two
as Farmstead Lake Dam; GNIS lists the dam as Auto Storage Dam Number Two.)
A query of GNIS found no other nearby features with names that include “Regency.”
OREGON
Change Constance Creek to Constants Creek: stream; 8.6 mi. long; heads on Bureau of Land
Management land 1.9 mi. E of Cinnabar Mountain at 42°34’34”N, 122°53’57”W, flows generally
SE to enter the Rogue River 1.2 mi. SW of Rattlesnake Rapids; named for Isaac Constant (18091890), founder of the nearby city of Central Point; Tps35&34S, Rgs1&2W, Willamette Meridian;
Jackson County, Oregon; 42°29’02”N, 122°51’41”W; USGS map - Eagle Point 1:24,000 (mouth);
Not: Constance Creek.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=42.4840138&p_longi=122.8614311&fid=1135440
Proposal: to change a name to recognize local and historical use
Map: USGS Eagle Point 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Kevin Biersdorff; Eugene, OR
Administrative area: Bureau of Land Management
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Constance Creek (FID 1135440)
Local Usage: Constants Creek (since the 1850s, according to the proponent)
Published: Constance Creek (USGS 1983, 1989, 2011, 2014, 2017); Constants Creek
(Jefferson Public Radio, 2008)

 25
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Constance Creek, an 8.6-mile-long tributary
of the Rogue River in Jackson County and partially on Bureau of Land Management land, to
Constants Creek. The proponent states that the stream was named for Isaac Constant (1809-1890),
who owned land along the stream and who founded the nearby city of Central Point. The proponent,
a descendant of the honoree, reports that according to a history told by his daughter, Constant and
his family traveled from Springfield, Illinois on the Oregon Trail, and in 1852 settled in the Rogue
River valley. The Constants took a donation land claim near the future city of Central Point. They
grew potatoes and other crops, and during the harsh winter of 1852-1853, Isaac Constant noticed that
nearby tribes were starving and informed a tribal chief that his people could have as many potatoes
as they needed. During the Rogue River Wars in 1855 and 1856, the chief forbade any harm or
violence towards the Constant family.
The name Constance Creek has only appeared on USGS maps since 1983. The proponent states that
the name Constants Creek has been in use since the 1850s. A transcription of a Jefferson Public
Radio story about Constant and the Rogue River Indians used Constants Creek for the name of the
stream.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners has no objection to the proposed change, while the
Oregon Geographic Names Board recommends approval.
Change Kuenzi Reservoir to Hunegs Reservoir: reservoir; 1 acre; located 3.2 mi. SW of Silverton,
3.3 mi. ENE of Pratum; named for Harry Hunegs (1917-2012), who built the reservoir and owned
the land around it; Sec 16, T7S, R1W, Willamette Meridian; Marion County, Oregon; 44°57’49”N,
122°48’43”W; USGS map – Stayton NE 1:24,000; Not: Kuenzi Reservoir.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=44.9637129&p_longi=122.8118495&fid=1122858
Proposal: to change a name to recognize local use and in commemoration
Map: USGS Stayton NE 1:24,000
Proponent: Gordon Hunegs; Oswego, NY
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Kuenzi Reservoir (FID 1122858)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Kuenzi Reservoir (USGS 1969, 2011, 2014, 2017; Oregon Water Resources
Department, 1977)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Kuenzi Reservoir in Marion County to
Hunegs Reservoir. Although the reservoir has been labeled Kuenzi Reservoir on USGS maps since
1969, the proponent believes it should be renamed to recognize the fact that his father, Harry Hunegs
(1917-2012), was granted a permit to build it in the 1960s. The reservoir lies in the SW ¼, NE ¼ of
Section 16.
Both Harry Hunegs and members of the Kuenzi family received permits to build reservoirs in
Sections 16 and 17. In addition to the 1969 USGS map, Kuenzi Reservoir was labeled on a 1977
Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) drainage basin map. A 1964 OWRD map (with
limited revisions in 1989) labeled a different reservoir, in the SW ¼ NW ¼ of Section 16, as Kuenzi
Reservoir.

 26

Records show that George Kuenzi built this reservoir; however, it is listed in GNIS as Urban
Reservoir (no proposal has been submitted to change the latter name). The proponent states that no
member of the Kuenzi family has owned the land around Kuenzi Reservoir in the last 100 years.
Members of the Kuenzi family still live nearby. There are no features listed in GNIS with names
that include “Huengs.”
Change Malone Peak to Maloney Peak: summit; elevation 3,022 ft.; located on land managed by
the Bureau of Land Management, 4.2 mi. S of Glendale, 1 mi. W of London Peak; the name
commemorates Michael Maloney, who homesteaded in the area in the late 1800s; Secs 29&28,
T33S, R6W, Willamette Meridian; Josephine County, Oregon; 42°40’34”N, 123°25’39”W; USGS
map – Glendale 1:24,000; Not: Malone Peak.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=42.67625&p_longi=123.4274537&fid=1123722
Proposal: to change a name to recognize family name
Map: USGS Glendale 1:24,000
Proponent: Danny Schilberg; Wolf Creek, OR
Administrative area: Bureau of Land Management
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Malone Peak (FID 1123722)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Malone Peak (USGS 1954, 1986, 1989, 1996, 2011, 2014, 2017)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Malone Peak, a 3,022-foot summit on
Bureau of Land Management land and State lands in Josephine County, to Maloney Peak. The
proponent wishes to correct the spelling of the name to reflect the name of Michael Maloney, a
homesteader after whom the summit is reportedly named. The name Malone Peak has appeared on
USGS maps since 1954.
In the 1995 book First there was Twogood: A pictorial history of northern Josephine County, Larry
McLane wrote about Maloney’s 160-acre homestead claim in 1889, which borders the north slope of

 27
the summit. Water rights certificates from 1949 record nearby land ownership by the Maloney
family. The Oregon Geographic Names Board recommends approval of the name change.
Rattlesnake Rock: pillar; 50 ft. relief; 1.4 mi. SW of Biggs Junction; the name refers to rattlesnakes
which can be found at the location; Sec 18, T2N, R16E, Willamette Meridian; Sherman County,
Oregon; 45°39’21”N, 120°51’15”W; USGS map - Biggs Junction 1:24,000.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=45.655732&p_longi=-120.854254
Proposal: to make official a name in local use
Map: USGS Biggs Junction 1:24,000
Proponent: Sherry Kaseberg; Moro, OR
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Rattlesnake Rock (local residents)
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the name Rattlesnake Rock for a small pillar on
private land in Sherman County. The proponent states that previous landowners, who grew wheat
and raised cattle, referred to the feature as Rattlesnake Rock because of the rattlesnakes that could be
found there.
The current landowner of the feature supports the proposal. The Maryhill Museum of Art, located
across the Columbia River and opposite the pillar, has a sculpture that points at it; the Executive
Director of the museum wrote in support of the proposal. The Sherman County Historical Museum
and the Oregon Geographic Names Board also recommend approval.
PENNSYLVANIA

Frost Pocket Run: stream; approx. 2.6 mi.; heads in the Township of Roaring Creek at
40°55’57”N, 76°23’35”W, flows generally SW to enter Roaring Creek 0.4 mi. E of Queen
City; the name refers to the colder temperatures in this area which cause earlier and later
than normal frost in the seasons; Columbia, Pennsylvania; 40°54’54”N, 76°25’42”W;
USGS map – Catawissa 1:24,000.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=40.91505&p_longi=76.42826
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=40.932465&p_longi=76.393073
Proposal: new name for unnamed feature
Map: Catawissa 1:24,000
Proponent: Dennis Kreischer; PA
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: None found
Case Summary: This proposal is to apply a new name to 2.6-mile-long unnamed tributary of
Roaring Creek. The feature heads in Roaring Creek Township, then flows generally southwest
through Catawissa Township, before entering Roaring Creek in Locust Township. According to

 28
the proponent, the name refers to the fact that “colder temperatures are normal in this hollow.
Earlier and later frost occur in seasons.” The proponent owns and operates Frost Pocket Farms in
the vicinity of the stream. When asked to address the BGN’s Commercial Names Policy, he
responded that the farm “does not sell any products under the name ‘Frost Pocket’ and the
proposed name is in no way intended to publicize a business or commercial product.”
VIRGINIA
*** Note: the following proposal has been withdrawn and resubmitted as Fishback Run,
Review List 432
Change Negro Run to Clevenger Creek: stream; 3.9 mi. long; heads 2.4 mi. NNE of Amissville,
2.6 mi. SW of Waterloo at 38°40’43”N, 77°57’07”W, flows generally SSE into the Rappahannock
River 1.9 mi. S of Waterloo, 2.2 mi. NE of Jeffersonton; the name refers to a nearby locale named
Clevengers Corners; Culpeper County, Virginia; 38°40’05”N, 77°54’09”W; USGS map –
Jeffersonton 1:24,000; Not: Negro Run, Nigger Run.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=38.6681752&p_longi=77.902495&fid=1497882
Proposal: to change a name considered to be derogatory
Map: USGS Jeffersonton, 1:24,000
Proponent: Craig Anderson; Warrenton, VA
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Negro Run (FID 1497882)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Negro Run (USGS 2010, 2013, 2016; FEMA 2007; Survey of Culpeper and a part
of Madison counties, Virginia, 1863); Nigger Run (USGS 1927, 1930)
Case Summary: This proposal would change the name of Negro Creek, a 3.9-mile-long stream in
northern Culpeper County, to Clevenger Creek. The proposed name comes from a nearby locale
(not recorded in GNIS) of “Clevengers Corner.” Although there is no information on the origin of
the name of the locale, research shows that Charles A. Clevenger (1896-1960) was a resident of the
nearby community of Amissville in the 1940s. (The name was initially proposed as Clevenger’s
Creek, but was amended to Clevenger by the proponent after being informed that possessive
apostrophes are discouraged in geographic names.)
The pejorative form of the name appeared on USGS topographic maps in 1927 and 1930. The
stream was not labeled on USGS maps between 1930 and 2010. An 1863 map made by the Chief
Engineer’s Office of the Confederate States Army, Department of Northern Virginia, labeled the
stream as Negro Run. The stream flows through the South Wales Golf Course.
GNIS lists a crossing with the name Clevengers Ford about 40 miles to the north-northwest, in
Frederick County.
WASHINGTON
Houle Creek: stream; 1 mi. long; in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, heads on the NW slope
of Amabillis Mountain at 47°18’23”N, 121°17’04”W, flows WSW under Interstate 90 to enter the
Yakima River 1 mi. S of Swamp Lake; the name is French meaning “a swell of water”; Secs
23,24&13, T21N, R12E, Willamette Meridian; Kittitas County, Washington; 47°17’46”N,
121°17’55”W; USGS map – Stampede Pass 1:24,000; Not: Telephone Creek.

 29
Mouth: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=47.296&p_longi=-121.29848
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=47.306304&p_longi=121.284583
Proposal: new name for an unnamed feature
Map: USGS Stampede Pass 1:24,000
Proponent: Luke Assink; Union Gap, WA
Administrative area: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: None found
Published: Telephone Creek (USGS 1901)
Case Summary: The new name Houle Creek is proposed for an unnamed one-mile-long stream in
Kittitas County. The stream flows off the northwest slope of Amabillis Mountain, under Interstate
90, and into the Yakima River; it is also within Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The
proponent, an employee of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), reports
that his agency is involved in construction projects in the area, part of which will involve replacing
the culvert through which the stream flows, allowing it to return to a more natural state. Current
WSDOT reports refer to the stream only as “Unnamed Stream (MP 63.7)” and the proponent
believes it would be helpful to give it an official name. “Houle” is a French word meaning “swell,”
or as the proponent describes it, “a ridge or wave that moves across a body of water.” He states that
the stream flows year-round and provides habitat for local fish and amphibians.
The stream in question was labeled Telephone Creek on a 1901 U.S. Geological Survey map;
however, a decision by the BGN in 1964 determined that the name was mislabeled and that it should
be applied to a different stream 1.5 miles to the south. As such, the stream in question is unnamed.
The WA BGN recommends approval of the name Houle Creek. As part of its research, the WA
BGN asked the Kittitas County Commissioners, the Confederate Tribes of the Colville reservation,
the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, and the Yakama Nation for their opinions, but no responses were
received, which is presumed to indicate a lack of opinion.
Libby Creek: stream; 1.2 mi. long; heads 1.5 mi. SE of Boston Harbor at 47°07’51”N,
122°52’14”W, flows E then NNE into Chapman Bay; the name commemorates the Libby family,
specifically George A. Libby (1833-1898), who homesteaded along the trail that is now Libby Road;
Sec 18, T19N, R1W & Sec 13, T19N, R2W, Willamette Meridian; Thurston County, Washington;
47°08’19”N, 122°51’23”W; USGS map – Longbranch 1:24,000; Not: Libbey Creek, Sleepy Creek.
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=47.1385908&p_longi=122.8562515
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gazpublic/getesricoor?p_lat=47.1308543&p_longi=122.8704565
Proposal: to make official a commemorative name in local use
Map: USGS Longbranch 1:24,000
Proponent: Alan Wald; Olympia, WA
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: No record
Local Usage: Honey’s Creek (proponent); Libbey Creek (proponent); Libby Creek
(proponent); Sleepy Creek (proponent)

 30
Published: Libbey Creek (Washington State Conservation Commission report, 2009;
Washington Department of Fisheries report, 1975); Libby Creek (Washington State
Department of Ecology website, 2017; Washington State Department of Ecology report, 2006;
Woodland-Woodard Creek Drainage Basin Plan, 2005); Sleepy Creek (Washington State
Department of Ecology website, 2017; Washington State Conservation Commission report,
2009; Washington State Department of Ecology report, 2006; Washington State Department
of Natural Resources report, 2002; Thurston County Place-Names, 1992; Google maps, 2017)
Case Summary: This proposal is to make official the name Libby Creek for a 1.2-mile-long stream
that flows into Chapman Bay north of Olympia in Thurston County. The name would commemorate
the Libby family, specifically George A. Libby (1833-1898), who homesteaded along the trail that is
now Libby Road. Mr. Libby was a lumber worker and miner.
The proposal would also eliminate some of the confusion caused by having multiple unofficial
names applied to the stream. The proponent, a retired employee of the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife, lives near the stream and monitors its water quality and salmon occurrence. He
states that the name Libby Creek is the oldest known name dating back to the 1930s and is in use by
government agencies and locals. He adds that the stream is sometimes known as Honey’s Creek,
Libbey Creek, and Sleepy Creek.
The earliest published name found by BGN staff was Libbey Creek in a 1975 Washington
Department of Fisheries report under the heading “Unnamed (Libbey Creek)” although the spelling
of the road is given as “Libby Road.” The 1992 volume Thurston County Place Names gives the
name of the stream as Sleepy Creek and states that the origin of the name is unknown. A 2002
Washington State Department of Natural Resources report also used the name Sleepy Creek. A
2005 county drainage basin plan used the name Libby Creek. Washington State Department of
Ecology reports from 2006 and 2017 referred to the stream as “Sleepy Creek (Libby Creek).” A
2009 Washington State Conservation Commission report referred to the stream as “Sleepy Creek
(Libbey Creek).” A road with the name “Sleepy Creek Lane” is located near the stream.
The Washington Board on Geographic Names (WA BGN) received one comment from a resident of
Bellevue who stated that the name Sleepy Creek is “pleasant” and that the Libby family was already
honored with the name of the road. The WA BGN recommends approval of Libby Creek. As part
of its research, the WA BGN contacted the Thurston County Commissioners, but no reply was
received, which is presumed to indicate a lack of opinion.
GNIS lists Libby Point and an associated lighthouse 7.6 miles to the northwest, in Mason County; it
is unclear for whom this feature is named.
Change application of Riley Slough: stream; 4.5 mi. long; heads at the confluence of High Rock
Creek and Steffen Creek (q.v.) at 47°50’01”N, 121°58’06”W, flows generally WSW to the
Skykomish River 3 mi. SW of Monroe; Secs 15,14,13&24, T27N R6E & Sec 18 T27N R7E,
Willamette Meridian; Snohomish County, Washington; 47°49’26”N, 122°00’47”W; USGS map –
Maltby 1:24,000 (mouth).
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesricoor?p_lat=47.823988&p_longi=122.0131805
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesricoor?p_lat=47.817701&p_longi=121.968362
Proposal: application change to recognize local use
Map: USGS Maltby 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Wayne D. Steffen; Antioch, California
Administrative area: None

 31
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Riley Slough - in part (FID 1525054)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Riley Slough - in part (USGS 1953, 1956, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1993, 2011, 2014,
2017; FEMA 1999)
Case Summary: This application change to Riley Slough, a tributary of the Skykomish River, is
proposed in conjunction with a proposal to apply the new name Steffen Creek (q.v.) to an unnamed
stream and also to a part of the currently-named Riley Slough (see the Steffen Creek proposal for
maps and more details).
Steffen Creek: stream; 4.5 mi. long; heads 0.5 mi. NE of King Lake, 1.7 mi. W of Lake Fontal at
47°49’04”N, 121°55’20”W, flows generally NW, W, and SW to enter Riley Slough (q.v.) at the
confluence with High Rock Creek; the name commemorates Herman Steffen (1870-1957), who
raised cattle near the stream in the early 1900s; Secs 18,7,8,17,16&21, T27N, R7E, Willamette
Meridian; Snohomish County, Washington; 47°50’01”N, 121°58’06”W; USGS map – Monroe
1:24,000; Not: Riley Slough (in part).
Mouth: https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesricoor?p_lat=47.833649&p_longi=121.968362
Source: https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesricoor?p_lat=47.817701&p_longi=121.922206
Proposal: to change the application of an existing name and to apply a new commemorative
name
Map: USGS Monroe 1:24,000
Proponent: Wayne D. Steffen; Antioch, California
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Riley Slough - in part (FID 1525054)
Local Usage: Steffen Creek (proponent, local historical society)
Published: Riley Slough - in part (USGS 1953, 1956, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1993, 2011, 2014,
2017; FEMA 1999)
Case Summary: The new name Steffen Creek is proposed to be applied to an unnamed stream in
Snohomish County and also to a portion of a stream that is currently named Riley Slough (q.v.). By
shortening the extent of Riley Slough, the proposed Steffen Creek would flow into Riley Slough at
the confluence with High Rock Creek. The proponent states that the stream proposed as Steffen
Creek is not a slough and that the term is only appropriate for the downstream section that would
remain as Riley Slough.
The proposed name would commemorate Herman Steffen (1870-1957), the proponent’s grandfather.
A native of Germany, Herman and Lena Steffen purchased a cattle farm near the stream in 1900.
The family still operates Steffen Farms and owns water rights to the stream. The Steffen family has
been recognized as a Pioneer family in the Tualco Valley, while the farm has been recognized by the
county as a Centennial Farm, one that has been in operation for over 100 years.
The Washington Board on Geographic Names (WA BGN) recommends that the proposal be
approved. As part of its research, the WA BGN asked the Snohomish County Council for its
opinion but no response was received, which is presumed to indicate a lack of opinion. Support for
the name was received from the Tualco Grange, the Monroe Historical Society, a member of the
Snohomish County Historical Preservation Society, and neighbors of the Steffens currently living in
the area.

 32

GNIS lists another stream with the name Steffen Creek approximately 100 miles to the southsouthwest, in Lewis County. The latter name was the subject of a BGN decision in 1959 but the
issue under discussion was whether it should be changed from Uden Creek; the decision file states
only that the name referred to “a family who settled one of the first homesteads along the stream.” A
search of online genealogy records show that individuals named Steffen from Switzerland lived in
the area.
Change Squaw Creek to Swaram Creek: stream; 6.8 mi. long; heads in Okanogan-Wenatchee
National Forest E of Douglas Ingram Ridge at 48°04’40”N, 120°08’34”W, flows NE and E to enter
the Methow River 2.2 mi. SE of Hunter Mountain; the name is of native origin and refers to “torch
light fishing at night”; T30N, Rgs22&21E, Willamette Meridian; Okanogan County, Washington;
48°05’25”N, 120°01’03”W; USGS map – Cooper Mountain 1:24,000 (mouth); Not: Squaw Creek.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=48.0901416&p_longi=120.017574&fid=1526453
Proposal: to change a name considered offensive

 33
Map: USGS Cooper Mountain 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Joanna Bastian; Carlton, WA
Administrative area: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Previous BGN Action: None
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Squaw Creek (FID 1526453)
Local Usage: Squaw Creek (local residents)
Published: Squaw Creek (USGS 1889, 1901, 1968; AMS 1955, 1958, 1962; USFS 1968,
1987, 1988, 1996, 1999; FEMA 1981; Okanogan Road Atlas, 2003; Okanogan General
Highway Map, 1967; General Land Office map of Washington, 1924; A Geographic
Dictionary of Washington, Landes, 1917)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Squaw Creek, a 6.8-mile-long stream in
Okanogan County, to Swaram Creek. According to the proponent, “the native Methow people
called the feature ‘Swaratatk’ which can be represented as ‘Swaram Creek.’” She learned of the
name from a linguist and elder of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, who stated
that it refers to “torch light fishing at night,” a practice used by the Methow people along the stream.
The Methow name for the stream is “swaR'a-tátkw” in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
“swaR'a” refers to the fishing activity and “tátkw” means a body of water. The linguist stated that
“swara” does not stand alone as a word but “swaram” does.
The name Squaw Creek seems to have originated with a mining camp along the stream in the late
1800s and first appeared on USGS topographic maps in 1899. The proponent believes the word
“squaw” is derogatory and that the proposed name would honor the Methow people who continue to
live in the area. She states that during the 2015 Squaw Creek Fire, some fire crews refused to use
the name “Squaw” which led to confusion among locals.
In response to a column about the proposed name change by the proponent in a local newspaper,
four letters were received in support of the change, and one in opposition. The proponent provided
signatures of 90 local residents in support of the proposal. The Washington State Board on
Geographic Names (WA BGN) received 29 letters or emails in support of the change and 34 in
opposition. One of the residents along the stream gathered 363 signatures on an online petition
against the proposed change and 144 signatures on a paper petition (some may be from the same
individuals). This resident protested that local residents were not contacted before the WA BGN
began its consideration of the proposal. The resident states that they are Native American and do not
object to the word “squaw.”
The WA BGN recommends approval of the change to Swaram Creek. As part of its research, the
WA BGN asked the Okanogan County Commissioners for their opinion, but no response was
received, which is presumed to indicate a lack of opinion. The Okanogan County Historical Society
supports the proposal, as do the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Snoqualmie
Indian Tribe. A recent news story reports that the name of Squaw Creek Road has already been
changed by the county to Hunter Mountain Road.
WISCONSIN
Change Pine Spring Creek to Wheeler Wilcox Creek: stream; 4.6 mi. long; heads in the Town of
Vienna, 1 mi. SE of Norway Grove at 43°14’11”N, 89°23’31”W, flows SW then SE and E through
the Town of Westport and the Village of Windsor to enter the Yahara River 0.8 mi. SW of Windsor;
the name commemorates Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919), author and poet who grew up in the
area; Secs 23,26,35&36, T9N, R9E and Sec 1, T8N, R9E and Secs 31&30, T9N, R10E, Fourth
Principal Meridian; Dane County, Wisconsin; 43°12’32”N, 89°21’11”W; USGS map - De Forest

 34
1:24,000 (mouth); Not: Ella Wheeler Wilcox Creek, Pine Spring Creek.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=43.20902&p_longi=89.35314&fid=2786895
Proposal: to change a name to a commemorative name
Map: USGS De Forest 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Hans Hilbert; Madison, WI
Administrative area: None
Previous BGN Action: Pine Spring Creek (BGN 2017)
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Pine Spring Creek (FID 2786895)
Local Usage: Pine Spring Creek (local residents)
Published: Ella Wheeler Wilcox Creek (North Yahara Future Urban Development Area
Planning report, 2012; Dane County Water Body Classification Study, 2007; Village of
DeForest Comprehensive Plan, 2006; The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names, 2015; Dane
County Place-Names, 1968); Pine Spring Creek (Village of DeForest ordinance, 2013; Dane
County Board of Adjustment Minutes 2009; Rock River Coalition project proposal 2015)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Pine Spring Creek (BGN 2017), a 4.6-milelong stream in the Town of Vienna, the Town of Westport, and the Village of Windsor in Dane
County, to Wheeler Wilcox Creek.
In early 2017 the BGN received a proposal from the Wisconsin Geographic Names Council, on
behalf of the Dane County Planning Department, to make official the name Pine Spring Creek, citing
use by a local conservation group and publication in village and county ordinances. The name was
approved by the BGN in June 2017. However, after being informed of the BGN’s decision, the
proponent contacted the BGN to report that he had since learned that the stream was already
documented with the name Ella Wheeler Wilcox Creek; this name commemorates the author and
poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) and the stream flows past her childhood home. The name
was published in local planning reports and was also listed in The Romance of Wisconsin Place
Names (Gard, 1968) and Dane County Place-Names (Cassidy, 1968). The Dane County Planning
Department is asking that the BGN revisit its decision and to approve the name Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Creek instead (when informed of the BGN’s Long Names Policy, he agreed to shorten it to Wheeler
Wilcox Creek). He suggests the published name is preferred “rather than the uninspiring and generic
‘Pine Spring Creek.’”
While living in Wisconsin and before marrying Robert Wilcox, Ella Wheeler wrote her most famous
poem “Solitude,” which is known for the line “Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and
you weep alone.” Her book Poems of Passion was published in 1883. Following her marriage, she
moved to Connecticut where she and her husband became interested in spiritualism. She later wrote
about spiritualism and reincarnation.
The proponent contacted the three local jurisdictions, all of which had previously recommended
approval of Pine Spring Creek. The Westport Town Board and the Village of Windsor have
responded that they support the change to Wheeler Wilcox Creek.
WYOMING
Change Hayden Valley to Buffalo Nations Valley: valley; approx. 19,000 acres; heads in
Yellowstone National Park 5 mi. NNW of Beach Lake, E of Central Plateau, trends NE, ends 2.3 mi.
WSW of Wrangler Lake; the name refers to the Buffalo Nations, a term for the tribes of the Great
Plains; Unsurveyed Area; Park County, Wyoming; 44°40’45”N, 110°28’56”W; USGS map – Canyon
Village 1:24,000 (mouth).

 35
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=44.6790975&p_longi=110.4821253&fid=1589419
Proposal: to change a name considered to be offensive
Map: USGS Canyon Village 1:24,000 (mouth)
Proponent: Brandon Sazue; Fort Thompson, SD
Administrative area: Yellowstone National Park
Previous BGN Action: Hayden Valley (BGN 1930)
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Hayden Valley (FID 1589419)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Hayden Valley (USGS 1886, 1895, 1896, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1911, 1914, 1955,
1958, 1959, 1960, 1983, 1986, 2012, 2015; Northern Pacific Railroad Company, 1898, 1901)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Hayden Valley, a large valley in northcentral Yellowstone National Park (YNP), to Buffalo Nations Valley. It is submitted with a second
proposal to change the name of Mount Doane, also in Yellowstone National Park, to First Peoples
Mountain (q.v.). The proposal was submitted by the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association
(GPTCA), as well as by a number of individual tribes, all of whom state that the proposed name
would be “in honor of all Tribal Nations that have treaty rights and interests to Greater Yellowstone,
and those with an ancestral connection to this sacred landscape and our relatives, the Buffalo
Nation.”
The name Hayden Valley has been labeled on USGS topographic maps since 1886. It was a BGN
decision in 1930, one of over 500 names approved for features in the park. The valley was named in
honor of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829-1887), who led many scientific and mapping
expeditions in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains and was also one of the first geologists of the
U.S. Geological Survey.
Charles A. White’s 1894 memoir of Hayden provides a brief summary of Hayden’s life. After
college and medical school, Hayden became interested in geology and paleontology. He joined a
paleontological expedition for James Hall, the New York state geologist, and became fascinated with
the topography and geology of the Great Plains and the American West. He spent a few years
travelling with the American Fur Company during which he made many important geological
observations and paleontological collections. His notes helped inform the first formal descriptions
of geological formations in the region and were used by subsequent Government explorations. In
the late 1850s, Hayden was invited on U.S. Topographical Engineers expeditions along the
Yellowstone River and to the Black Hills. He joined the Union army as a physician during the Civil
War and was brevetted lieutenant colonel for his services.
In 1867, Hayden was put in charge of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the
Territories and between 1867 and 1878 led explorations of areas of Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado,
New Mexico, Utah, and Idaho. In 1871, he led an exploration of the Yellowstone area as part of the
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871. This survey (which followed two previous explorations of the
area by European Americans) brought wide attention to the future YNP area. Hayden advocated for
“setting aside the area as a pleasure ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people” and stated
that if Congress did not pass an act “the vandals who are now waiting to enter into this wonder-land,
will in a single season despoil, beyond recovery, these remarkable curiosities, which have required
all the cunning skill of nature thousands of years to prepare.” Hayden’s descriptions and advocacy,
along with that of many others, helped convince the United States Congress to pass the “Act of
Dedication” setting aside the area as a public park. When several independent geological and
geographical surveys were combined into the U.S. Geological Survey, Hayden accepted a position as
one of its first geologists, retiring in 1886.

 36

Letters asking for the proposed change (as well as the proposed change of Mount Doane to First
Peoples Mountain (q.v.)) were submitted by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the
Flathead Nation; the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation; the Northern
Cheyenne Tribe; and the Piikani Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy (a tribe in Canada). The
Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA) also sent a letter to the BGN asking for the
change. Each letter referenced a resolution signed by the tribal leaders of all tribes in the GPTCA
and the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC). This resolution, which was presented to
the Superintendent of YNP in September, 2017, states:
“The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's
Association are comprised of every Tribal Nation in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota,
South Dakota, and Nebraska. In respect to the Blackfoot Confederacy, this alliance extends
to the province of Alberta. The majority of the sovereign Tribal Nations recognized by the
Department of the Interior as ‘Associated Tribes of Yellowstone’ are member tribes of the
Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's
Association.
Pursuant to the resolution passed by the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council in
December, 2014, which was duly supported by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s
Association, we, the undersigned leaders of representative Tribal Nations from and with
interests to both bodies, urge the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and the
Park's administration, and the Director of the National Park Service, to move, expeditiously,
to advance the process of changing the names of Hayden Valley and Mount Doane, and to
work cooperatively with the individual Associated Tribes of Yellowstone, the Rocky
Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association to
that end…
We request that Yellowstone National Park, through the National Park Service, both
recommend and advocate for these name changes, to expedite the process with the US Board
of Geographic Names under the purview of the US Geological Service. In the spirit of
cooperation and conciliation, we ask the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park to
approve a public statement to that effect and begin this process with us in earnest.”
The 2014 resolution mentioned above mainly concerned the delisting and trophy hunting of the
grizzly bear in the Yellowstone area, but states in part:
“The manner in which this process [the proposed delisting of grizzly bears from the
Endangered Species Act] has so far been conducted without the consultation and input of the
affected Tribal Nations is representative of the recent history of Yellowstone (post-1872). It
must be remembered that Yellowstone was a homeland, a sacred cultural landscape to
twenty-six tribes, before it was a National Park. However, a visitor to Yellowstone today
would not know that, due to the lack of cultural interpretation. A change in that respect is
long overdue. America’s first national park should no longer have features named after the
proponents and exponents of genocide, as is the case with Hayden Valley and Mount Doane.
Seven months before Lieutenant Gustavus Cheyney Doane, 2nd Cavalry, guided the 1870
Yellowstone Expedition, he had led the massacre of Chief Heavy Runner’s Piegan Blackfeet
village on the Marias River. On his subsequent application to become Superintendent of
Yellowstone National Park, he boasted, ‘Greatest slaughter of Indians ever made by U.S.
Troops.’ Of the 173 victims killed on January 23, 1870, only 15 were men of fighting age.

 37

Where Doane participated in genocide, Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden advocated it. ‘Unless they
are localized and made to enter upon agricultural and pastoral pursuits they must ultimately
be exterminated,’ Hayden said of our ancestors who were about to be dispossessed by the
establishment of Yellowstone National Park. ‘If extermination is the result of noncompliance, then compulsion is an act of mercy,’ he concluded.
These names must be changed with the input of the affected Tribal Nations, just as any
move to delist the sacred grizzly bear on this ancestral landscape must involve consultation
with the affected Tribal Nations.”
The 2017 resolution submitted by the GPTCA states the case for the proposed change:
“Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden advocated the ‘extermination’ of tribal people in an official
government document (US Geological Survey of Wyoming) published in 1872. ‘Unless they
are localized and made to enter upon agricultural and pastoral pursuits they must ultimately
be exterminated. If extermination is the result of non-compliance, then compulsion is an act
of mercy,'’ he wrote. That is advocacy for genocide with no plausible deniability. That
Hayden was a white supremacist cannot be denied, he stated it himself in his book, North
America: ‘Equally incontestable is the pre-eminence, both intellectual and moral, of the
white race which thus forms a natural aristocracy in the truest sense, of the word.’
‘The lower race’ is how Hayden categorized tribal people, and in his words, ‘mixed bloods
were ‘tainted by the negro element’ and ‘half breeds’ by ‘vices’ from ‘the indolence and
wantonness of their Indian mothers.’ Eighteen-years after General Robert E. Lee
surrendered at Appomattox, Dr. Hayden defended slave-holding Confederate plantation
owners as ‘chivalrous and hospitable,’ and insisted, ‘The treatment of the negro was not
barbarous, and many seemingly cruel laws were greatly needed as measures of selfprotection on the part of the whites.’ If Hayden’s name is retained, when, at the very least,
is there disquiet that a family’s album of smiles and selfies was made in a valley named after
somebody who proposed the ‘extermination’ of another race, and vindicated slave owners
because, after all, he believed ‘the pre-eminence, both intellectual and moral, of the white
race’ was ‘incontestable?’
To deny genocide is complicity in its future enablement. . . . Any attempt to rationalize the
retention of Hayden’s name by arguing that he deserves this honor because he was a great
geologist is a slippery slope to denying genocide. In the last eighty years, it is not difficult
to find notorious ‘doctors’ who have been exponents of genocide but whom, at some point,
made contributions in their respective fields of expertise that some viewed as creditable.
Hayden’s words and incitement. . . overrides anything [he] did in respect to Yellowstone.”
The 1872 “official government document” referred to in the 2017 proclamation is the second annual
Preliminary Report of the United States Geological Survey of Wyoming presented by Hayden to
then-Secretary of the Interior Columbus Delano. The report consisted of several parts. Part I and
Part II are part of the “Report of F.V. Hayden.” Part III is the “Report of Professor Cyrus Thomas.”
Part IV contains “Special Reports” by several authors. Part V is of “Catalogues” of natural history
collections by several authors. The first section of Part III, titled “Agriculture” and written by Cyrus
Thomas, contains the quote in which Hayden is said to have “advocated the ‘extermination’ of tribal
people.” This report was submitted by Thomas to Hayden. The report mostly contains Thomas’s
observations on the suitability of the Great Plains of Wyoming for agriculture. In the last part of the

 38
section on “Agriculture,” Thomas wrote some “General Remarks,” one of which was on “Indians.”
The entire section is as follows:
“The present Indian policy, which doubtless looks forward to the localizing and settlement
of these roving tribes, is intimately connected with the agricultural development of the West.
Unless they are localized and made to enter upon agricultural and pastoral pursuits
they must ultimately be exterminated. There is no middle ground between these
extremes—one or the other must be the final result. If this be so—and I think it will be
conceded by all who have given the subject any serious reflection—then it is very important
that the agricultural capacity of the Territories, where they are to be found, should be
ascertained as soon as possible, and the extent and locality of the arable district adapted to
such settlement determined. But these roving sons of the Plains know nothing of
agriculture, they know nothing of the principles of irrigation, and hence they must be taught,
and to do this the locality for each tribe must be fixed, and the experiment tried. Some of
the Indian agents, I believe, have entered upon this work, which, if properly managed, will
in all probability result in more good than any other that has been tried. But if persuasion,
after a thorough trial, fails to bring a tribe to terms, then compel them to it; for one restless,
roving band may destroy all the good that might be effected with half a dozen others. Lend
a helping, fostering hand to all that are willing to enter upon permanent settlements, but
make no treaties and grant no annuities to those that refuse to come to these terms. If
extermination is the result of non-compliance, then compulsion is an act of mercy. The
how, I leave to others to decide. But looking at it from the agricultural side of the question, I
certainly conceive it to be a necessity.” [bold added to show parts quoted in the 2017
resolution]
The book North America referenced in the 2017 resolution is the 1883 North America volume of
Stanford's Compendium of Geography and Travel Based on Hellwald's ‘Die Erde und ihre Völker’
[Earth and its people] published by Edward Stanford, a British publisher of books and maps.
Friedrich Heller von Hellwald was an Austrian writer of popular works on geography and the
history of civilization. Augustus Henry Keane, an Irish linguist and ethnologist, translated Heller
von Hellwald’s work into English. Stanford then took this translation and had regional experts
edit and in some case “expand” the works. In the case of North America, the section on the United
States was “Edited and Enlarged by Professor F.V. Hayden, Late Chief of the United States
Geological Survey.” (Note that the USGS did not and does not have “Chiefs” and that Hayden
was never Director of the USGS. He was in charge of part of the U.S. Geological Survey of the
Territories which was abolished and subsumed into the USGS when it was formed in 1879 along
with the surveys of Powell and Wheeler.) Both Heller von Hellwald and Keane were known for
their Victorian views on race. It is unknown whether the initial English translation was ever
published or if it was just provided in manuscript form to the editors; the original German text of
Heller von Hellwald contains the wording attributed to Hayden by the 2017 resolution.
The text published by Stanford does contain the phrases quoted in the 2017 resolution. However, the
text contains a variety of statements and ideas. The section on “The Civil War—Its Causes and
Results” in the chapter “Historical Survey” does state:
“unprejudiced historical inquiry, as contrasting with such passionate representations as those
of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, has shown that in general the treatment of the negro was
not barbarous, and that many seemingly cruel laws were urgently needed as measures
of self protection on the part of the whites. . . [bolded sections here and below are added
to show quotes from the 2017 resolution.]

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Miscegenation resulted in every variety of half breeds, who inherited not only the physical
beauty of their parents, but many of the higher qualities of their fathers. All those of mixed
blood, however little they might be tainted by the negro element, were held as slaves
[although a deplorable view, this does not refer to views on native peoples as asserted by the
2017 resolution]. Indeed, many men held their own children in this degraded condition, nay,
even sold their own daughters, knowing what fate might be in store for them. The sharplydrawn lines of aristocracy of blood rigorously excluded those in the least tainted with negro
blood from society. . . .
Equally incontestable is the pre-eminence, both intellectual and moral, of the white
race, which thus forms a natural aristocracy in the truest sense of the word. But in the
Southern Slave States this natural aristocracy was soon, converted into an actual one, which,
in the possession of slaves and in the produce of slave labour, found the means of acquiring
vast wealth. But this was again counterbalanced by the defect inherent in all aristocracies,
here enhanced by the demoralizing influences produced by slavery itself on the slaveholder.
The cotton-planters, sprung most of them from the best blood of England, developed into a
chivalrous and hospitable race, enjoying the higher culture of the European universities,
but having solely in view the maintenance and defence of their own exclusive rights. As, on
the other hand, influence never fails to follow in the wake of wealth, the South inevitably
gained the ascendancy over the North, and became the leading power in the body politic. . .
.”
In the same section, however, the text reads:
“[In the North] society stood, fortunately, in no need of slavery, and here consequently arose
no aristocracy of colour. . . all were equal, every man could work, and prosperity became
universally diffused throughout all classes. . . .
In the contest raised by this burning question of the abolition of slavery [the Civil War], all
the civilised world was naturally arrayed on the side of the North. . . . Thus the South, in
their vain attempt to protect their ‘peculiar institution,’ afforded its opponents the
opportunity and the power to free the country from this foul stain.”
In the chapter on “The Indians” in the section on “Are the Indians dying out?,” the text reads: “[I]n
the struggle for existence on this continent, barbarism is giving way, not so much by the advance of
culture as by want of vitality of the lower race. . . .”
In the section “Half-Breeds,” the text states, when referring to descendants of Spanish and native
people:
“In the consciousness of being neither white nor red, and of having no place in the Indian
tribes, they despise the race of their mother as profoundly as they hate and detest that of the
father. In them are intensified the vices of both races—the pride and cruelty of their Spanish
fathers, the indolence and wantonness of their Indian mothers.
The northern half-breeds differ very much among themselves in their characteristics,
depending upon the nationalities of their parents. The French half-breeds are indolent, gay,
and careless, resembling in many respects the Spanish half-breeds just referred to, and, like
them, though in less degree, showing a want of vitality. The English and Scotch half-breeds
are, on the contrary, hardworking and industrious, of good disposition, and show a vitality
which predicts for them a perpetuation of the race.”

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The section on Canada, “edited and expanded” by “Professor A.R.C. Selwyn, F.R.S., Director of the
Geological Survey of Canada,” contains similar views on native peoples and those descendants of
European colonists and native tribes. A fuller analysis would be needed to determine which
statements were original to Heller von Hellwald, Keane, or the editors of Stanford’s volume, Hayden
and Selwyn.
The letter sent by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes states, “To honor. . . Dr. Ferdinand
Hayden, an avowed white supremacist who called for the extinction of Indian people, is
unacceptable.” The letter sent by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe restated the 2017 declaration. The
letter sent by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe states, “There is no question that. . . Hayden was a white
supremacist who openly advocated for the ‘extermination’ of our people, an incitement to genocide
published in a government document, the 1872 USGS Survey of Wyoming.” The letter sent by the
Piikani Nation directly quoted the 2017 declaration. The GPTCA letter states “It is, as many tribal
leaders have protested, shameful, that Yellowstone National Park continues to honor. . . Lieutenant
Gustavus C. Doane, and a white supremacist who advocated for the genocide of indigenous people,
Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden, by retaining their names on major features of Yellowstone National Park.
These categorizations are not opinion, but fact, based upon the written statements of both Doane and
Hayden, some of which are documented in the signed declaration.” All of the letters strongly
emphasize the tribes’ historical connections to the YNP area.
Many features have been named for Hayden, including Hayden Glacier, Alaska; Hayden Peak,
Hayden Pass, Hayden Fork, and Hayden Lake, Utah; and the populated place Hayden, Colorado.
Many other features may have been named for Hayden in the American West. GNIS also lists
Hayden Creek, 37 miles to the northeast in Montana in YNP.
Change Mount Doane to First Peoples Mountain: summit; elevation 10,649 ft.; in Yellowstone
National Park 1 mi. NE of Mount Stevenson, 3.7 mi. NE of Brimstone Basin; the name refers to the
long history of Native peoples in the Yellowstone area, as well as those killed in conflicts with
settlers and the military during the 1800s; Unsurveyed Area; Park County, Wyoming; 44°24’48”N,
110°08’50”W; USGS map – Sylvan Lake 1:24,000; Not: Mount Doane.
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=44.413304&p_longi=110.1471196&fid=1599277
Proposal: to change a name considered to be offensive
Map: USGS Sylvan Lake 1:24,000
Proponent: Brandon Sazue; Fort Thompson, SD
Administrative area: Yellowstone National Park
Previous BGN Action: Mount Doane (BGN 1930)
Names associated with feature:
GNIS: Mount Doane (FID 1599277)
Local Usage: None found
Published: Mount Doane (USGS 1885, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1911, 1914, 1955, 1958, 1959,
1960, 1982, 1989, 1991, 2012, 2015; U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories, 1871; Office
of the Chief of Engineers, 1881; Rand McNally, 1897; Northern Pacific Railroad Company,
1898, 1901)
Case Summary: This proposal is to change the name of Mount Doane, a 10,649-foot summit in
eastern Yellowstone National Park (YNP), to First Peoples Mountain. It was submitted with the
proposal to change the name of Hayden Valley, also in Yellowstone National Park, to Buffalo
Nations Valley (q.v.). The proposed changes were submitted by the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s
Association (GPTCA), as well as by a number of individual tribes, all of whom believe the existing
names are offensive and need to be changed. The name First Peoples Mountain would be “in honor

 41
of all Tribal Nations that have treaty rights and interests to Greater Yellowstone, and those with an
ancestral connection to this sacred landscape and our relatives, the Buffalo Nation.” See the Buffalo
Nations Valley proposal for more details.
The name Mount Doane has been labeled on USGS topographic maps since 1885. It was applied to
the feature by Ferdinand V. Hayden, the leader of the 1871 U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories
exploration of the Yellowstone area. The name was a BGN decision in 1930, one of over 500 names
approved for features in the park. The summit was named for Gustavus Cheyney Doane (18401892), who participated in the 1870 “Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition” into the Yellowstone
area. Doane served as the leader of the military escort of the survey.
Doane served in the Civil War and was given a commission in the U.S. Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment
as a Second Lieutenant. In 1869, he was assigned to Fort Ellis near Bozeman, Montana. In early
1870, he was involved in the Marias (or Piegan) Massacre, which was an attack on a Piegan camp
along the Marias River in response to reports of a murder of a white trader and rancher by a Piegan
man. Major Eugene M. Baker had been ordered to attack the hostile Piegan band harboring the man,
but instead attacked a non-hostile Piegan band which had been promised protection by the local U.S.
military. Reports of those killed varied, but as many as 217 Piegan, mostly women and children,
were slaughtered. At the time, most of the young men were away hunting bison; many of the band
were also suffering from smallpox. Doane later wrote about his participation in the massacre. He
was also involved in the Little Bighorn campaign, gaining the allegiance of the Crow Indians and
recovering the remains of Custer, and in the Nez Perce wars, helping to capturing Chief Joseph.
In 1870, Doane was assigned as a military escort for an expedition into the Yellowstone area. He
wrote detailed descriptions of the findings of what would be called the “Washburn-Langford-Doane
Expedition.” His contribution to the exploration of the area and his notable descriptions led Hayden
to honor him by naming Mount Doane. Doane also assisted the Hayden survey in 1871, although he
also resented Hayden for getting most of the credit for the formation of YNP. In an effort to gain
recognition for being an explorer, he attempted several explorations of the Snake River Valley and
the Arctic, although these were unsuccessful. In the years before his death, Doane campaigned
extensively to be given the position of the first Superintendent of YNP, but his applications were
denied. He did receive some recognition for his role in exploring the Yellowstone area.
A 2014 Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC) declaration that was referenced in the
letters sent by three federally recognized tribes and by the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s
Association (GPTCA) states:
“Seven months before Lieutenant Gustavus Cheyney Doane, 2nd Cavalry, guided the 1870
Yellowstone Expedition, he had led the massacre of Chief Heavy Runner’s Piegan Blackfeet
village on the Marias River. On his subsequent application to become Superintendent of
Yellowstone National Park, he boasted, ‘Greatest slaughter of Indians ever made by U.S.
Troops.’ Of the 173 victims killed on January 23, 1870, only 15 were men of fighting age.”
The 2017 resolution submitted by the GPTCA states the case for the proposed change:
“To quote Mr. Paul Wylie, author of Blood on the Marias [published in 2016], ‘Clearly,
Gustavus Cheney Doane was not worthy of having a mountain named for him, then or now.’
Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane 2nd Cavalry, was responsible for one of the worst war crimes
in US history, an act of genocide committed on this soil, that he bragged about throughout
his life. Doane showed no remorse for this atrocity; on the contrary, he was proud of it. In
his application to become superintendent of Yellowstone he wrote, ‘I was the first and last

 42
man in [the] Piegan [Piikani] camp January 23, 1870. Greatest slaughter of Indians ever
made by U.S. Troops.’ Of the government's record of 173 victims authorities admitted that
only 15 were men of fighting age, the rest were elders, women and children, ‘'None older
than twelve years and many of them in their mother's arms,’ reported Indian Agent W. A.
Pease. Doane subsequently ordered several of the Piikani he took prisoner to be executed
with axes.
‘I remember the day when we slaughtered the Piegans, and how it occurred to me, as I sat
down on the bank of the Marias & watched the stream of their blood, which ran down on the
surface of the frozen river over half a mile, that the work we were then doing would be
rewarded, as it has been,’ Doane wrote in a letter to Wilbur F. Sanders on January 7, 1891,
by which time he was already being celebrated as ‘the man who discovered Wonderland’ for
his role in the 1870 expedition that was instrumental in ‘Yellowstone’ becoming a national
park. Doane didn’t discover anything, this land was never lost, for it had nurtured our
ancestors since the close of the Pleistocene epoch. Doane was a war criminal…
We propose that Mount Doane be renamed ‘First People’s Mountain,’ not only to honor the
memories of the Piikani victims of the Marias Massacre, but also in remembrance of those
who suffered the same barbarity at the hands of those like Doane. The Cheyenne and
Arapaho at Sand Creek. The Shoshone-Bannock at Bear River. The Lakota at Wounded
Knee. ‘First People’s Mountain’ also recognizes the 10,000-year plus connection Native
peoples have to this sacred place.”
A snippet of news published after the massacre, attributed to either the New North West or the Rocky
Mountain Gazette, reported a conversation between a settler and Doane:
“‘Will the Indians remain quiet now, do you think?’ asked an anxious settler of Lieutenant
Doane, of the cavalry, when the expedition was returning from the Marias. ‘Well, I can’t
say,’ returned the Lieutenant, ‘but there are certainly one hundred and seventy-three very
good arguments in favor of their remaining quiet, lying out in the Marias.’”
A reference to Doane as “the man who discovered Wonderland” could only be found in news reports
and blog posts about the proposals as well as in one line in Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of
Yellowstone written by George Black in 2012, about Doane’s possible reaction to skepticism about
his reports: “What way was that to talk of the man who discovered Wonderland?” However,
General William E. Strong, who was guided through the area in 1875, wrote that Doane “is spoken
of and pointed out as the man who ‘invented Wonderland.’” (“Wonderland” is a nickname given to
the area as early as 1871.)
A fuller quote of Doane’s 1891 letter to Senator W. F. Sanders of Montana, when his application to
be Superintendent of YNP was denied, Doane wrote:
“I want command of the Yellowstone National Park. If I have not deserved it, justice is a
mockery, merit a scandal, gratitude a farce and liberty a lie. I remember the day when we
slaughtered the Piegans, how it occurred to me, as I sat down on the bank of the Marias &
watched the stream of their blood, which ran down on the surface of the frozen river over
half a mile, that the work we were then doing would be rewarded, as it has been. It has
always been to me a question which is the more acceptable in the long run, a suitable & just
reward for services rendered or the conscientiousness of unmerited neglect & the sustaining
elements engendered therefrom of undying hatred & supreme contempt…”

 43
The letter sent by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes states, “To honor Lieutenant Doane,
a man who proudly recalled leading the Marias massacre. . . is unacceptable.” The letter sent by the
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe states, “Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane is the dictionary-definition of a war
criminal.” The letter sent by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe states, “There is no question that Doane
was a war criminal. . . . Doane’s slaughter of defenseless Piikani Blackfoot women and children at
first light on January 23, 1870 evokes the Sand Creek Massacre, a heinous act of inhuman barbarity
committed upon our people. There is not, never was, nor ever will be, any justification or place for
the names of killers like Doane. . . to be memorialized.” The letter sent by the Piikani Nation
directly quoted the 2017 declaration. The GPTCA letter states “It is, as many tribal leaders have
protested, shameful, that Yellowstone National Park continues to honor a war criminal, Lieutenant
Gustavus C. Doane, and. . . Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden, by retaining their names on major features of
Yellowstone National Park. These categorizations are not opinion, but fact, based upon the written
statements of both Doane and Hayden, some of which are documented in the signed declaration.”
All of the letters strongly emphasize the tribes’ historical connections to the YNP area.
A query of GNIS found one other feature in the area with “Doane” in its name: Doane Peak (BGN
1938) is also named for Doane; it is located in Grand Teton National Park, approximately 50 miles
to the southwest. Doane Creek and Doane Peak are located approximately 275 miles to the
southwest in Wyoming, but it is not known for whom these features are named.