During Tuesday’s Shasta County Board of Supervisors Meeting a report will be made concerning the required renaming of some county geographical locations. A state law prohibits the continued use of the word “Squaw” in place names starting next year because it’s a crude and derogatory racial slur used against indigenous women. Lake Shasta tributary Squaw Creek has already been renamed Sulanharas Creek by the federal government. Other places that are in need of renaming in Shasta County include Squaw Carpet Drive, Squaw Grass Trail, Squaw Springs Trail and Squaw Valley Loop Road. The state law requires that name replacements prioritize names that honor the tribes and languages specific to the place in question. The new proposed names need to be submitted to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names for consideration.
-Steve Gibson