Alaska’s Nazi Creek and Nip Hill now appear to be close to their expiration dates, as the federal board responsible for designating U.S. place names prepares to consider less offensive alternatives.
In the Thursday afternoon monthly meeting of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names’ Domestic Names Committee, officials are scheduled to act on the twin Alaska renaming proposals. The multiagency board is also set to consider a proposal to rename New York state’s Bad Indian Swamp to the less obnoxious Queen Catharine Marsh.
The latter would honor Catharine Montour, an 18th-century Iroquois leader.
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In all three cases, proponents of renaming cite the inappropriateness, if not outright racism, of the current names.
