It's 2019, and, despite how far we've come, we still have places in this great country of ours that have fallen behind the times.

There is no reason that the great state of Wyoming must cling to outdated and in my mind negative place names like Dead Indian Pass.  First of all, it mislabels Native Americans, and secondly, the name itself is incredibly grim, and marginalizes the dark stain on American history that is our treatment of Native Americans.

Instead of sounding like a graveyard, Dead Indian Pass should be renamed something more akin to a solemn memorial.  I propose that Dead Indian Pass be renamed Nez Perce Pass, to honor the origin of the location's name, but not in the crass manner it has been.

On September of 1877, pursued by General O.O. Howard, the Nez Perce tribe, less by Chief Joseph, fled through the mountains. Amongst their number included 700 men, women and children, along with 2000 horses.

Naming the path of their flight, knowing that the tribe would be caught and defeated during the Battle of Bear Paw, Dead Indian Pass is wholly unacceptable for a variety of reasons, I'm sure you will agree.

We must do better! Similarly, nearby Dead Indian Mesa and Dead Indian Creek deserve a new name, too.