Denali National Park

No fewer than nine Native groups, from time immemorial, have used unique names for the mountain. There are five Athabaskan languages surrounding the park, each with its own oral place name. According to University of Alaska linguist James Kari, the groups to the north and west of the mountain (and Alaska Range) use words that translate to “the tall one.” The Athabaskan languages to the south of the mountain use words that mean “mountain-big.” The name “Denali” stems from “deenaalee,” which is from the Koyukon language traditionally spoken on the north side.

The first non-Native record of the mountain came from George Vancouver in 1794, when he referred to the “stupendous snow mountains.” Early 18th and 19th century Russian explorers had several names for the mountain. In 1834, explorer Andrei Glazunov called the highest peak Tenada, which is Deg Hit’an Athabaskan and means “the great mountain.” This name appears on an 1839 map of the area. Another Russian name used to describe the mountain was Bulshaia Gora and means “Big One.”

The US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 and a couple of decades later, a gold prospector named Frank Densmore explored Interior Alaska and effused about the tremendous mountain. Prospectors all along the Yukon River started calling the mountain “Densmore Mountain” or “Densmore Peak.” “Mount McKinley” emerged after a gold prospector named William Dickey (who was an admirer of President-elect McKinley) used the name in an 1897 New York Sun article. Although the new president had no direct connection to Alaska, the name Mount McKinley was popularized following the president’s 1901 assassination.