Park County Commissioners will have a chance to help change an unfortunate bit of geography.
During their meeting this afternoon, the commissioners will hear an appeal from the United States Board on Geographic Names, represented by Tyler Kerr of Powell. They will address the name of a series of peaks on BLM land in the southern point of Park County – close to the nexus of its borders with Bighorn, Hot Springs, and Washakie Counties. The peaks in question are professional named the Squaw Teets. They have been formally referred to as such on United States Geologic Survey maps since 1951. They have been a site of geologic and paleontological interest in the past, although they have alternately been referred to as Squaw Buttes as early as 1902, and have seen differing monikers in differing publications throughout the 20th Century. Google Earth labels the western of the pair of summits as West Squaw Teat. The case summary is clear on its opinion: the current name is derogatory, both to women and to Native Americans.
To rectify this dated, unfortunate title, Tyler Kerr and the United States Board on Geographic Names are proposing a permanent change. They propose that the new name remove the derogatory language while preserving a similar meaning. To which, they propose the name the Crow Woman Buttes. The Crow were a historically active tribe in this area, and the name is conversationally easier to say than Shoshone Woman or Blackfeet Woman. And each peak can be further designated to the West and East Crow Woman Buttes.
The Park County Commissioners will be asked to either sign their support or opposition to the name change, which will be used to present the cases to the appropriate authorities, which will decide if this unfortunate title will be forever changes.
