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The White House announced Sunday that President Obama is changing the name of North America's highest peak.

Mount McKinley — named after William McKinley, the 25th president, who served in the White House until his assassination in 1901 — is returning to its traditional Alaska Native name, Denali.

Obama will make a public announcement of the name change in Anchorage Monday, during a three-day visit to Alaska.

A statement by the White House says the designation "recognizes the sacred status of Denali" to Alaska natives going back generations:


Efforts to change the peak's name back to Denali date back to 1975. The 

 that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently added language in a spending bill that would reestablish the mountain's original name.


The broader purpose of the of the president's trip to the nation's 49th state is to mount an aggressive call to action to fight climate change. The trip, which promises to utilize breath-taking backdrops, will shine light on melting glaciers and rising sea levels.

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Brakkton Booker

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Efforts to change the mountain's name back to Denali date back to 1975. The White House says changing the name back "recognizes the sacred status of Denali to generations of Alaska Natives."

Obama renaming continent's highest peak from Mt. McKinley to Denali

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