Lauderdale: Denali name change a good example for Hilton Head

Greetings from Denali Head Island.

I hope we can avoid the name game that got so many people riled up last week.

The grand mountain in Alaska that a prospector named for an Ohio politician was officially switched back its original name.

Mount McKinley is once again Denali. The return of the native name is something Alaskans wanted for decades.

Forget the hubbub from the haters. The new name change was made fair and square, and it was the right thing for President Barack Obama's administration to do.

Denali is a beautiful name. And William McKinley, who gave his life serving his country after becoming president, has a gracious plenty of monuments where he lived and worked.

The biggest mountain we've had to climb around here in the name game was a fight over the wonderful word: Frogmore. The Frogmorians lost (or won?) when the post office swapped its name to St. Helena Island.

I didn't have a dog in that fight, but I would side with St. Helena Island. We get the historic name, and still have Frogmore Stew and Frogmore International Airport.

Name changes have helped us in other ways.

Moss Creek was built on a place called Hog's Bluff.

A part of Sea Pines was called "Old Woman's Folly" in olden days.

Hilton Head itself used to be called Trench's Island. Doesn't that sound like a great place for a vacation? We lucked out when Capt. William Hilton sailed by and wrote a timeshare brochure but never came ashore.

It's been suggested Hilton Head's name be changed to Cirrhosis Shores. A new study shows why. Beaufort County does more drinking than any other in the state. But as to changing the name to Cirrhosis Shores, it's always been one step forward and two steps backward.

The French left us one beautiful name, Port Royal, which we've been smart enough to leave alone.

But you can still tell a great explorer because we name shopping centers after them. We had Jean Ribaut Square in Beaufort. And Hilton Head's Coligny Plaza is considered a piece of ancient history itself as it marks its 60th anniversary this month.

Old-time residents used to try to get newcomers to pronounce Coligny correctly -- something like Coleenye. The reaction was overwhelming. See: Cirrhosis Shores.

The newest waves of prospectors to name things around here have specialized in misspelling rather than mispronunciation. Harbour. Centre. Shoppe. Grande. Just remember: When they buy a vowel, you pay more.

But we still have our own "Denali" with lyrical names that are the only signs left of the ​Native Americans, other than the shell rings and occasional arrowhead or pottery shard.

Coosaw, Calibogue, Combahee, Daufuskie, Okatie, Yemassee, Chechessee, Altamaha, Huspah, Coosawhatchie.

Heaven forgive us if we ever replace these names for a prospector or presidential candidate.

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/09/05/3911444/lauderdale-denali-name-change.html#storylink=cpy

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 11:17 PM.