Yellowstone mountain renamed to honor Native Americans who were massacred

The National Park Service announced it has renamed one of the mountains in Yellowstone National Park in honor of Native Americans, replacing the "offensive" name of the U.S. Army captain behind their massacre. 

The name of the 10,551-foot mountain previously known as Mount Doane and located east of Yellowstone Lake was changed to First Peoples Mountain. Prior to the name change, the mountain had been named after Gustavus Doane, a key member of an expedition in 1870 before Yellowstone became the first national park in the country. 

According to the National Park Service, new research shows that Doane led an attack on Piegan Blackfeet, which were Algonquian-speaking people from the Great Plains, in response to the alleged murder of a White fur trader. In what is now known as Marias Massacre, the U.S. Army killed at least 173 people, including many women, elderly tribal members and children.

"Doane wrote fondly about this attack and bragged about it for the rest of his life," the National Park Service said in a news release. 

Based on recommendations from the Rocky Mountain Tribal Council and other officials, the new name was forwarded to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. The federal body, which establishes and maintains the uniform usage of geographic names throughout the government, took a vote this month and passed it unanimously. The name change will be reflected across universal platforms in the coming days. 

The park said it may consider changes to "other derogatory or inappropriate names in the future."