An Oregon butte unfortunately titled “Swastika Mountain” will be getting a new name in the near future.
The moniker is not some insidious homage to Nazism, but actually hails from the name of a now-extinct town started in the early 20th century, according to an archived reader question from Medford’s daily newspaper, the Mail Tribune.
A cattle rancher named Clayton E. Burton used to brand his livestock with a swastika when he helped establish the town in 1909 — a couple of decades before Nazi Germany’s use of the symbol equated it with fascism in the West.
Back in Burton’s time, the swastika was associated with its Sanskrit meaning of good luck.
The town died out three years later, but Swastika Mountain stuck around. Now some locals are requesting the Oregon Geographic Names Board rename the mountain, according to Willamette Week.
A tribal historian suggested that the mountain’s new name pay its respects to Chief Halito, who led the Yoncalla Kalapuya tribe in the 1800s.
That new name — Mount Halo — could be implemented as soon as next year, pending tribal approval.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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