First Peoples Mountain, Mountain peak in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US
First Peoples Mountain is a 10,551-foot (3,216 m) peak in the Absaroka Range in the southeastern part of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, a few kilometres northwest of Eagle Peak, the park's highest summit. Its upper slopes are shelly, feldspathic granite above the limit of pines.
The peak received its current name in 2022 when the United States Board on Geographic Names approved a change following consultations with tribal representatives. This renaming reflected efforts to recognize Native American heritage in the park's geographic features.
The name First Peoples Mountain was adopted in June 2022 after the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association objected to honoring Gustavus Doane for his role in the 1870 Marias Massacre, in which about 200 Native Americans, mostly women and children ill with smallpox, were killed. The renaming followed proposals by Native American groups in 2017 and 2018 and a 15–0 vote of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
The mountain can be viewed from several vantage points along the eastern shore of Yellowstone Lake, accessible via marked hiking trails throughout the park. Best views of the peak are available from the lakeside trails, particularly in early morning light.
The 1871 Hayden survey moved the name Mount Doane from the peak now called Mount Schurz to this summit, for reasons the sources do not record. The earlier Mount Doane was later renamed Mount Schurz.
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