Here We Go Again: Another Colorado 14er Might Get A New Name

Back in September, the former Mount Evans officially had its name changed to Mount Blue Sky, as announced by the US Department of the Interior and the Board on Geographic Names.  This eventually came to be after groups had advocated for the change for several years, after its former namesake - Territorial Governor John Evans - was determined to be responsible for the Sand Creek Massacre back in 1864, resulting in the death of over 150 Native Americans.

While the areas surrounding Mount Blue Sky still await their respective name changes from Mount Evans this-or-that, the peak itself has officially been changed. But the discussion on name changes is not over.

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Another "14er" in the state is being debated and considered for a potential name change. The Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board held a meeting on Nov. 2 to discuss Kit Carson Peak, which stands at 14,165 feet, making it one of the 58 mountains over 14,000 feet in the State of Colorado.

Its current namesake - Kit Carson - has a storied past as a frontiersman, trapper, and wilderness guide, in addition to serving in the US Army. That being said, much like former Gov. Evans, he has a past of extreme violence against Native American tribes, some tales much more brutal and better documented. The peak named for him is located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, just north of the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

It's not the only historical landmark bearing his name in the State of Colorado, others being parks, museums, a county, an army base near Colorado Springs, and even a city. And there are even more scattered across the western United States, including Carson City, Nevada which is the state capitol.

In 2020, a statue of Carson was removed from downtown Denver, and if the renaming of Kit Carson Peak was to proceed, its new name could possibly be Frustum Peak. Other attempts to rename it over the years to Crestone Peak have been unsuccessful.

The board will continue the discussion on the topic and their next meeting will be in January 2024.