Utah's 'Negro Bill Canyon' renamed after years of debate [now Grandstaff Canyon]

Associated Press ^ | Oct 12, 2017 6:51 PM EDT

[Olog-hai]

After years of debate, a U.S. government board has voted to rename Utah’s Negro Bill Canyon, overruling a recommendation by Utah officials to keep the name.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names decided Thursday to rename it Grandstaff Canyon to get rid of an offensive name, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. The vote was 12-0, with one member declining to vote. The decision comes 16 years after the board voted to keep the name.

The new name honors black rancher and prospector William Grandstaff, whose cattle grazed there in the 1870s. “His name was Grandstaff; it was not Negro Bill,” said Wendi-Starr Brown, a member of the federal board who is Native American. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how he wanted to be addressed in life.” Brown is a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, who represents the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the federal board. […]

The NAACP said the name is not offensive and preserves the history of the site, while the Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Commission called the name “blatant racism.”

The canyon is home to a popular hiking spot in Moab, the gateway to stunning, massive red rock formations. Local officials and business owners have long said the name generates frequent complaints and outcry from tourists who come from around the world, lured by the red-rock landscapes in nearby national parks. …

[Jamestown1630]

LOL! I learned a new word. Apparently it’s slightly different in different parts of South and Central America:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cabrón

[tumblindice]

[Mr Rogers]

"The Canyon was named after William Granstaff, an American cowboy of mixed race. He claimed it in 1877 to prospect for valuable ores and to serve as a homestead as he raised a modest herd of cattle. His business partner was a Canadian trapper known only as -- Frenchie. Mr. Granstaff was forced to flee the Moab area in 1881 when he was accused of a serious crime -- that of providing bootlegged alcohol to Native Americans in the region. His guilt or innocence in the matter was never determined. Nevertheless, Mr. Granstaff lost his home and virtually all of his belongings due to the accusation. But worst of all -- he lost his beautiful Canyon. In post-Civil War America, Mr. Granstaff 's conclusion that his racial heritage would place him at a significant legal disadvantage was not unreasonable in the least. Thus, he left Moab."

http://www.negrobillcanyon.com/the-story-of-negro-bill.html

[cynwoody]

It's Granstaff, not Grandstaff.

According to the Wikipedia, the canyon was renamed once before, in the 1960s.

[Olog-hai]

Oh well; I’m not too motivated to correct AP.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

There are/were several location names that were very offensive to Afro-Americans/black Americans/Negroes in the U.S.

The one I thought was particularly offensive was “Nigger Slough”, a long body of water in California near oil wells and/or chemical facilities that polluted the land and nearby waters. It was used to describe the terrible pollution in it, i.e. the color of the water, but it was still degrading. Don’t know if it was ever changed though I have feeling it was.

I see nothing wrong in changing a blatantly offensive geographic name but locals should have some input if it concerns private lands.

Sometimes things should be changed; other times, left alone.

I’m Jewish and I’m not offended by the Jew Fish. After all, fish played a major role in Jewish/Hebrew and Christian history and religion. We have bigger “fish” (i.e. extremist and Moslem anti-Semitism) to fry.

And leave the MONK fish alone too.

However, I would like to rename the Puffer/Blowfish to honor Michael Moore, which it looks identical to. After all, that’s probably the only thing that will ever be named after Moore other than when someone says “That’s butt ugly like Michael Moore:.

[Ken Regis]

The BGN changed a lot of offensive place names in the 60s and 70s. I’m guessing “Negro Bill” was one that was changed back then.

[cynwoody]

Actually, it seems Grandstaff is correct after all. The Park service screwed up the name of the campground.

From a 2015 article:

Moab resident Louis[e] Williams, who has researched the life of William Granstaff, says her study shows he never went by the moniker 'Bill', and likely also spelled his surname with a 'd' after the 'n'.

She is calling for the landmark to be renamed Grandstaff Canyon, as she believes this would be the most historically accurate version.

Speaking about the current name, she added: 'I don't know anybody who would die and want their name to be left like that.'

[cynwoody]

I’ve driven past Negro Bill many times when heading down to Moab. Grandstaff sounds too bland, IMO. Everything has to be sanitized and without character. :(

The NAACP agrees with you. According to Fox 13:

Jeanetta Williams, President of the Salt Lake City Chapter of the NAACP, issued a statement Thursday saying they are disappointed with the change and that they hope steps will be taken to preserve the history of the canyon and the man it was named for.

“The NAACP received word this morning that the US Board of Geographic Names changed the name of Negro bill canyon to grand staff canyon. Of course, we are disappointed, because our intent is to let people know that Negro is not an offensive word like some people were saying. What the NAACP want to make sure is that the history of the Negro bill canyon is not lost. The NAACP would like to make sure that literature is provided to visitors that come into the canyon area, as well as the state of Utah about the history of Negro bill canyon.”​

[x]

The canyon was named after William Grandstaff, a mixed-race cowboy, who prospected and ran cattle in the desert canyon in the late 1870s with a Canadian trapper named "Frenchie".

I guess the compromise, "Let's Call it Mulatto Bill" legislation didn't pass ...

[doorgunner69]

I learned it from my Mexican heritage co-workers. They were a very corrupting influence on my knowledge of Spanish.

But then, I was ripe for corrupting.

[sparklite2]

Oh, that’s rich. ROFL

[taxesareforever]

They could combine it with Hollywood and call it “GrabMyStaff Canyon”.

[libh8er]

Why not honor Civil Rights marcher John Lewis and name it Negro John Canyon ?

[Nothingburger]

Much as I dislike giving so much as an inch to political correctness, I think Grandstaff Canyon sounds OK.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Actually, there is little to no evidence that Bass Reeves was any kind of inspiration for the Lone Ranger.

http://martingrams.blogspot.com/2015/04/myth-debunked-bass-reeves-was-not-lone.html

I would also doubt that “most cowboys” of the old west were black, though a good number were.

[mad_as_he$$]

You suspicions are correct.

[VietVet876]

Richard Pryor and Michael Jackson led a movement to rename it “Ignited Negro College Fund”.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Just brought it up on MAPS! I used to swim in that canyon in 1955!

[ABN 505]

I was just reading “The Nigger of the Narcissus” by J. Conrad surprised it hasn’t been banned yet.