Yellowstone National Park Is Honoring Murderers

Yellowstone National Park is one of my favorite places on earth, but I recently discovered that at least two of the names within the Park honor murderers.

Hayden Valley is named for Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, a surveyor who led an expedition into Yellowstone in 1871, but also advocated for the extermination of any Native Americans refusing to comply with the wishes of the U.S. government.

Mount Doane is named for named for Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a U.S. cavalry captain who led a massacre that killed at least 175 Blackfeet people.

We should not be honoring men who made it their business to massacre the Native Americans who were living in the Yellowstone area long before it became a national park.

If you agree, please sign my petition demanding that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names change the names of these iconic places to reflect their true origins.