Tahoe-area ski resort removes slur from name
By Hope Miller
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OLYMPIC VALLEY, California (KCRA) — A well-known Lake Tahoe area ski resort has changed its name, removing derogatory language from the 70-year-old resort’s name.
Formerly Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, the resort has been renamed Palisades Tahoe, according to a social media post.
The original name had a word with English roots that is considered a racial and sexual slur against Native American women.
“For more than a year, our community has been waiting, wondering and guessing what the new name for our mountains would be. Today marks the first day of the next chapter of our resort’s storied history. From our founding in 1949 and hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics, to the freeskiing pioneers and Olympians that put us on the map, the last seven decades have cemented our mountains’ place in the halls of ski history. While the name may be new, the legend and legacy of these valleys continue on, now as Palisades Tahoe,” the resort’s post goes on to say.
Plans to change the resort’s name had been in the works since August 2020. The move comes amid growing efforts nationwide to remove symbols of Indigenous oppression from public spaces.
In a prepared statement, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California said it commended the name change and noted that “Native American communities across the country have been working for years to have this term removed from places in their ancestral lands.”
“We are very pleased with this decision; today is a day that many have worked towards for decades,” said Tribal Chairman Serrell Smokey.
Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area, including Olympic Valley, are the aboriginal homelands of the Washoe Tribe.
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