New names sought for places in state with a derogatory word in their titles

People have until April 25 to weigh in on a federal proposal to rename 18 geographical features in Washington that currently contain the word squaw, considered a derogatory name for Indian women.

The renaming process comes after a federal declaration in November defining the word as derogatory and calling for the renaming of 660 places nationwide that contain the word.

Included on the state list are Squaw Lake in Chelan County and Squaw Creek Ridge, listed in both Chelan and Okanogan counties between Lake Chelan and Pateros.

The federal Department of Interior has suggested several possible names for Squaw Lake, including White River and Little Wenatchee River. Name suggestions for Squaw Creek Ridge include Black Canyon Creek and Parrish Peak.

The Washington State Committee on Geographic Names is accepting comments on the name changes by email at bogn@dne.wa.gov.