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  • Squaw Mountain area name change?

    Clackamas County will rename Squaw Mountain Road

    Posted by The Oregonian June 12, 2007 10:27AM

    Categories: Clackamas County

    Clackamas County plans to remove the word "squaw" from a fifth location, wiping a name often considered derogatory off the county map.

    The latest proposal calls for Squaw Mountain Road east of Estacada to have a new name by the end of the year. The county commissioners earlier this year supported a proposal to replace the word "squaw" with "tumala" (tuh-MALL-lah) for Squaw Creek, Lakes, Meadow and Mountain in the Mount Hood National Forest. "Tumala," of Chinook Wawa origin, means tomorrow or after life.

    The Oregon Geographic Names Board originally spelled the word "tamala" but now spells it "tumala" in an endeavor to more precisely match the way it is pronounced.

    Six years ago, Oregon legislators called for removing the word from state geographical features. Since 2001, the Oregon Geographic Names Board has eliminated "squaw" from about 40 place names in Oregon, said board president Champ C. Vaughan, and has 140 more to go, including about 60 Squaw Creeks.

    -- Peter Zuckerman: peterzuckerman@news.oregonian.com

    Squaw Mountain area name change?
  • Re: Squaw Mountain area name change? (#)
  • 12/12/07; 1:48:02 PM ¦ by Simon Harding
  • No respect for history. Political correctness reigns. If our history resulted in a place being called "honkey mountain" or skinny white man meadow I wouldn't care. But then, I am The Oppressor, so I do not have the requisite perspective to have any views worth considering on this subject.

    The fact is, unfortunate and offensive place names have meaning in our history. they say who we are and what our history was. And in future, trail advocates 50 years from now may have trouble researching trails until they realize that fifty years earlier the name was changed from "Squaw" to "Tumalo."Sort of like how some folks still have difficulty with Front and Naito Parkway in Portland. (don't get me started on Rosa Parks Way).

    I think it's a shame.

    Heck I was unaware the word "squaw" was derogatory in a genitalia reference kind of way until this "controversy" arose.