With the U.S. Board of Geographic Names poised to change the name of Mount Woodring in Wyoming’s Grand Tetons, Teton County officials plan to recommend one of two possible new names for the peak — Equality Peak or Raven Peak.
It’s the latest in a series of moves to rename places associated with unsavory or problematic people or images. Dozens of peaks and places with “squaw” in their names have been renamed in recent years, including in Wyoming.
Most recently, Swastika Lake in the Snowy Range Mountains was renamed.
Mount Woodring, an 11,595-foot peak in Grand Teton National Park, will be renamed by the federal board to no longer be associated with a problematic figure in the park’s history.
The mountain isn’t going anywhere, but every map, guide, and sign could soon be redone with one of the two possible new names: Raven Peak or Equality Peak.
Teton County commissioners don’t have the authority to rename the mountain, but have been in communication with the U.S. Board of Geographic Names regarding the proposed change. They’ll vote on recommending one of the two names on Monday.
“The first decision is to remove Woodring's name, and then the second decision is to decide upon a new name,” Commissioner Luther Propst told Cowboy State Daily. “We want to get this done. We need to get this done. The sooner we get our recommendation in, the sooner they can consider it as they make their decision.”
Problematic Past
Mount Woodring was named after Samuel Woodring, the first superintendent of Grand Teton National Park. Located next to the iconic Mount Moran, it’s one of the more prominent and photographed peaks in the Teton Range.
Woodring had a reputation as a stellar superintendent from 1929 until 1934, when he was charged in Teton County District Court with assault with intent to commit rape on an 11-year-old girl.
The accusations came from Woodring’s secretary, H.M. Sherman. The victim was Sherman’s daughter.
Woodring was arrested after an investigation found Sherman’s claims were credible. The disgraced superintendent pleaded innocence and claimed he was framed. Ultimately, the charges were dropped, and he resigned from his position.
However, Mount Woodring had been submitted as a potential name for the peak in 1930 by Fritiof Fryxell, Grand Teton’s first naturalist.
Fryxell reportedly said he was “horrified” when he was informed of the allegations against Woodring, but the wheels of bureaucracy were already turning.
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved the designation of Mount Woodring in 1963, after the earnest efforts of a small group of men who were aware of the horrendous allegations but persisted and persevered.
“Back in the 1960s, they did not have what they have today,” Shelley Messer, a natural resource analyst for the State Engineer's Office and a voting member of the Wyoming Board on Geographic Names, told Cowboy State Daily in April 2024. “I believe they erred when they named it. The community was well aware of what happened, (and) I personally think the supporting documents are pretty persuasive.”
Bruce Noble, a Colorado resident, submitted a proposal to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names requesting that Mount Woodring be renamed. He also submitted an alternative name for their consideration: Raven Peak.
“The reputation of a person can change with the passage of time, whereas the status of a raven is not likely to change as years pass,” Noble wrote in his proposal. “The hope is that Raven Peak will have staying power that helps to make it a fitting name.”
Trust The Process
While some proposed geographic name changes have incited immediate controversy, there seems to be broad approval behind the effort to rename Mount Woodring.
The Wyoming Board of Geographic Names passed a motion recommending that the U.S. Board of Geographic Names strike the name Mount Woodring in a meeting last year. The board hasn’t decided whether to strike the name but know what the potential new name will be if they do so.
That’s where the Teton County commissioners enter the process. They don’t have the power to rename Mount Woodring, but they are curating and representing the opinions of the Jackson community through an online poll.
“The boards don't defer to the county commissioners in the affected county or counties, but they do seek our input,” Propst said. “We’re one of the groups that's considered in their decision, not because we're county commissioners, but because they want to make sure they're not adding a name that raises local concerns or problems.”
The recommendation of the Teton County commissioners will be considered when the U.S. Board of Geographic Names makes its decision on whether or not to rename Mount Woodring. Propst said they are pretty far along in the process, to the point where they are no longer considering new submissions for alternative names.
Raven Peak Or Equality Peak?
In Noble’s proposal to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, his recommendation was to rename Mount Woodring to Raven Peak. He characterized it as a name that will outlast the life and reputation of any person.
“Raven Peak is being proposed because ravens are commonly found in the Tetons,” he wrote. “They are considered intelligent birds, and the raven is considered significant in most Native American cultures. The name Raven Peak is also being specifically recommended because it is the name of an animal, not a person.
“The reputation of a person can change with the passage of time, whereas the status of a raven is not likely to change as years pass.”
The name Equality Peak” was submitted in a proposal from Jim Greer, a Utah resident who believes it honors the history and legacy of the state of Wyoming. After all, Wyoming is the Equality State.
“Renaming Mount Woodring to Equality Peak honors American greatness, the extraordinary heritage of our nation, and highlights the significant contributions of pioneering female Americans in our nation’s past, leaving an enduring legacy,” Greer wrote.
Greer also added that renaming the mountain to Equality Peak is “consistent with federal requirements and invokes the spirit of the White House Executive Order issued Jan. 20, 2025.”
That order was the Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, signed on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term. It’s the same executive order that renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restored the original name of Mount McKinley (which had been changed to the indigenous name Denali).
A Modest Proposal
The Teton County commissioners have encouraged people to submit their opinions on the two names they’ve been asked to consider for recommendation. They’ve received a flood of comments, which Propst characterized as “mostly positive.”
“We are receiving support without any opposition to Raven Peak,” he said. “There’s been strong support and minimal opposition to Raven Peak.”
That’s the name Propst will be advocating for Monday. He said the arguments he’s heard in favor of Raven Peak over Equality Peak have been more persuasive and touch on several aspects of the region’s history.
“I like naming the peak after a natural feature,” he said, “and the association between ravens and this mountain goes back to the early explorers who commented on ‘the density of ravens’ they saw on the mountain. Ravens have long been associated with that mountain, and both are natural features in the Teton Range, so the natural aspect sounds good to me.”
Propst also noted that Grizzly Lake sits at the foot of Mount Woodring. If that proposal is accepted, Raven Peak will loom over Grizzly Lake.
“That’s poetic,” he said.
However, Propst is only stating his own opinion on the renaming of Mount Woodring. He isn’t sure how his fellow commissioners are thinking.
“I don't want to speculate on how we might vote,” he said. “What I’ll say is that we’re limited to Raven Peak and Equality Peak. They’re not asking for our broad suggestions, just a recommendation of these two names.”
An Unexpected Honor
There isn’t a hard deadline the Teton County commissioners need to meet, but they’ve decided to vote on and submit their recommendation to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names as soon as possible. Propst said the commissioners want their input ready for consideration at the board’s next meeting this fall.
“We plan to make our recommendation Monday, and then it’ll take a week or so to draft a letter explaining our recommendation,” he said. “'We’ve gotten robust public comments, so I think each of us individually feels comfortable about a recommendation for a new name.”
The vote on the recommendation will be held during a routine meeting that includes riveting topics like tax appeals and other county business. Propst ran for one of the open seats to handle this kind of civic business, so he’s excited to participate in this moment of local history.
“It wouldn't have dawned on me that we would have such an opportunity,” he said.
“We’re renaming a peak in the Teton Range. It's not the reason that somebody runs to be a county commissioner, but once you're on it, it's an interesting thing to think about.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
