Nineteen Geographic Locations renamed in Washington State

The U.S. Department of the Interior  announced they are renaming almost 650 geographic features on Federal Lands, such as creeks, lakes, and peaks, due their original names being deemed offensive to Native Americans.

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Washington State will see 19 such name changes from the Western side to the Eastern side.  All of the geographic features had the same name in their title "squaw".  Regardless of how the term originated, it has been viewed as offensive for some time by Native American tribes and groups.

The following are the new names of the 19 geographic features in Washington State:

Big Joes Creek in Clallum County

Gathering Creek in the Olympic Wilderness

Gee Island near Mt. St. Helens

Aalvic Wahtum Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Pataniks Pushtye Butte in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Timla Wapykt Creek in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Shluxiksikswana Creek in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Kiya Lake in the Snoqualmie National Forest

Nosh Nosh Wahtum in the Snoqualmie National Forest

Wowpu-tushwa Lake in the Wenatchee National Forest

Swaram Creek Ridge in the Okanogan National Forest

Condon Mountain on the Colville Reservation

Gooseberry Creek in the Okanogan National Forest

Snqílt Creek in the Colville National Forest

Galena Valley in the Kaniksu National Forest

Laupp Canyon just south of the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Sq'wanana Islands along the Columbia River in Klickitat County

Wenaha Peak in the Umatilla National Forest

South Tucannon Spring in the Umatilla National Forest