Squaw Butte

Squaw Butte

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
"Would it be appropriate just to take a poll? Obviously this is the most people we've seen at one of these things for a long long time. There must be a reason you are here." That is Gordon Petrie addressing a joint meeting of the Emmett City Council and the Gem County Commissioners. Doing their due diligence as elected officials they are gathered to vote on proposed changes to the area comprehensive plan. It is usually a routine process until a newspaper headline alerted the community of one paragraph in the plan. Paragraph 7C.7 Initiate dialogue between members of the Shoshone Bannock tribe and the Gem community regarding the name of Squaw Butte Big Butte and, if appropriate, submit a formal request to the US Geological Survey to officially change the name. "People have been spun up by something that really wasn't going to happen. How many would be upset if that name was changed?" A show of hands was almost unanimous opposition from the public in attendance. And with that, the body voted to remove the paragraph that explores a name change for the mountain. Dye Cluff, a local realtor, came to testify. "There is no need to initiate a conversation on changing the name of the Butte because nobody in this community wants to change it including the Shoshone Bannock tribes. They are fine with it. People like the Squaw Butte. There is history behind it and they want to keep that history alive. Blogs, Facebook entries and general outcry from the community to keep the name in place ultimately prevailed.
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