(Jewish Group) Oregon's Swastika Mountain will soon be renamed [View all]

A view of the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon, the home of Swastika Mountain. (Public domain)

Fifty miles southeast of Eugene, Oregon, reaching an elevation of more than 4,000 feet, lies Swastika Mountain.

It’s unknown how many Jews have climbed it. But the unfortunate name, nearly a century old, will likely soon be replaced thanks to the efforts of a local resident.

According to Willamette Week, resident Joyce McClain discovered the mountain’s existence last year and petitioned the volunteer-run Oregon Geographic Names Board to change it. At a meeting this month, the board said it would support a name change to Mount Halo, named after Chief Halito, who led the area’s Indigenous Yoncalla Kalapuya tribe in the 1800s.

The name change is pending tribal approval, but could be implemented as soon as next year.

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