A little known debate to outsiders is whether or not Washington's famous tallest mountain should be called Mt. Rainier or Mt. Tahoma. Here's why:
One of the first expeditions to the west coast of the Americas by Englishmen was done by George Vancouver, who claimed responsibility for the mountain's discovery. He saw it while sailing through Puget Sound, and made the first accurate measurements of its height from his boat. Assuming that he was the first to have seen it, as the countryside was very wild (and still is, in some parts), he decided to name it after a personal friend of his, Admiral Peter Rainier. He then left, never setting foot on the mountain in his lifetime.
However, unbeknownst to him, there had been Native Americans living around the mountain for as many as 10,000 years, by some predictions. The local tribes had many names for the mountain, but the most common was Mt. Tahoma. Most tribes held either great reverence or fear of the mountain, as many saw it as both a life-giving mother for the streams which came off it, but also a dangerous, evil place, which is logical due to the great disasters which had occurred in their history surrounding the mountain. Eventually, white settlers began to move into the surrounding lands, and they made contact with the natives. Hazard Stevens, one of the local governors, performed the first recorded ascent of the mountain in the late 1800's with the help of a native guide. These men called the mountain Tahoma, as the name Rainier had little relevance to them. Eventually, however, conflict between the settlers and the natives lead to white men wanting to de-associate themselves with the natives, picking up the old name of Rainier.
Over a hundred years later, the mountain is still called Mt. Rainier, and it is universally known as such. However, there is a growing movement, primarily by the natives who still live there, for the old name of Tahoma to be restored. One of the minor peaks of the mountain has been named Little Tahoma, however, many feel that isn't enough.
So what do you think NS? Is the tradition of calling it Rainier too time-honored, or should the original name be restored for the sake of the natives? I'm personally in favor of the old name being brought back, but I can understand why a sudden name change could be complicating for such a famous and well-known mountain.
