Montana Geographic Names Advisor
Geographic Name Change Request
Change Squaw Creek to Sqaylth-kwum Creek
Sanders County, Montana
Status =
Approved
| Description |
stream,
10 km (6 mi) long,
Heads in Lolo National Forest, 2.4 km (1.5 mi) SE of Cube Iron Mountain at 47º40’11”N, 115º16’19”W, flows W to join the Clark Fork, 7.9 km (4.9 mi) NW of Thompson Falls, 1.5 km (1 mi) SE of Belknap; the word Sqaylth-kwum is the Anglicization of the Salish traditional name for the Thompson Falls area and an onomatopoetic word referring to the sound of water going over the falls |
| Location |
47°39’22”N, 115°23’52” |
| PLSS Location |
T22N, R29W & R30W |
| Proposal |
to change a name considered by some to be derogatory |
| Proponent |
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes; Pablo, MT |
| Not |
Squaw Creek |
| Administrative area |
Lolo National Forest |
| Previous BGN Action |
None |
| See also |
39201 |
| GNIS ID |
791378
|
| Local Usage |
None found
|
| Published |
Squaw Creek (USGS 1978, 1988, 1992; DeLorme Mapping Montana Atlas & Gazetteer, 1994; SummitPost.org website)
|
The name Squaw Creek applies currently to a 10 km (6 mi) long stream that heads in central Sanders County within the Lolo National Forest and flows west to enter Clark Fork 7.9 km (4.9 mi) northwest of Thompson Falls. The origin of the current name has not been determined; the earliest map on which it has been located is the USGS topographic map published in 1978. The proposed replacement name, Sqaylth-kwum Creek, is the Anglicization of the Salish traditional name for the Thompson Falls area and an onomatopoetic word referring to the sound of water going over the falls. The proponent adds, “for millennia this area has served as an important traditional camp for the Pend d’Oreille people, whose traditional territory centers around the Clark Fork drainage system.”
The Montana State Geographic Names Authority recommends approval of this proposal, as do the Montana House Bill 412 “Squaw Name Change” Advisory Committee and the American Indian Caucus of the Montana State Legislature. The State Board contacted the Sanders County Board of Commissioners on three occasions, but no response was received, which is presumed to indicate a lack of an opinion on the issue. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Idaho had previously submitted a proposal to rename this stream Cheawalk Creek (Review List 395), but it was later withdrawn; the Tribe now supports the proposal for Sqaylth-kwum Creek. The U.S. Forest Service has no objection to this name change.
|
| Montana Geographic Names Advisor Recommendation -
Support
|
| Domestic Names Committee Decision Date -
Thursday, June 12, 2008 |
Domestic Names Committee Discussion -
A motion was made and seconded to approve this change.
Vote: 10 in favor
0 against
0 abstentions
|
