Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board evaluates possible name changes to public landmarks

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado's Geographic Naming Advisory Board is currently evaluating possible name changes for certain public monuments and places.

After seeing various statues, monuments, and public places get torn down and vandalized following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Gov. Jared Polis says the state is taking progressive action to make sure it doesn't happen here.

But Colorado isn't just looking at renaming buildings or schools.

The board is currently reviewing three mountain peaks in Colorado that have been petitioned for renaming - including Mount Evans in the southwest region of the state

The mountain is named after John Evans - who was a governor in Colorado in the 1860s, before the territory was even a state.

However, he is also held largely responsible for the Sand Creek Massacre that killed hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians.

The board, which includes Representative Tony Exum of El Paso County, is reviewing a petition to rename the mountain in honor of the innocent people who died that day.

"Just because they're a different color or different race, doesn't mean they don't add value to our country, to our state, and to our communities," says Exum.

The board is made up of a dozen people across different political and cultural spectrums. It includes state lawmakers, representatives from the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs, and experts on race and ethnic studies - just to name a few.

In the weeks to come, the board will be working closely with U.S. Board on Geographic Names, to review the pending name-change proposals.

The state board can make official recommendations to Gov. Polis.

The federal board still has to make the final approval before the names of landmarks can be changed on federal maps and products.