When liberals started trolling Whitefish, Montana, the town had to make a definitive stand against hate. But the deepest-rooted intolerance in places like Whitefish isn’t the kind that makes headlines.
The City of Whitefish, on behalf of property owners around the lake, filed a petition with the court in August seeking to change the name from its current designation of “Lost Coon Lake.”
“Locals and visitors alike consider the name Lost Coon Lake extremely offensive, as its history and meaning are easily discovered,” the city wrote in its petition with the court.
Whitefish City Attorney Angela Jacobs said once the city receives the final order from the judge, it will begin the process of changing the name with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
According to reports, Whitefish is known for connections to renowned racists, including white nationalist Richard Spencer (below), who makes his home near the lake part of the year.
More details of this story from AWM:
Although the lake was called the “Lost Coon Lake,” that was a compromise name. According to Whitefish City Attorney Angela Jacobs, the people who took the lake from the Native Americans wanted an even more racist name. However, the “(N-word Lake” was deemed to be too offensive.
During the filings for the name change, Whitefish Community Library Director Joey Kositzky shared a document from 1964 that featured a newspaper headline, “(N-word) Lake name changed.” At the time, the direction of lumber yard operator Don Jensen admitted that residents found the lake with the racial slur name to be offensive. It was decided that the lake would be renamed, Lodgepole Pond.
Whitefish has been plagued with racism. When a black woman participated in a Black Lives Matter demonstration, a white man screamed at her face. The confrontation was caught on camera and showed the angry white man. She bravely confronted him by lowering her sunglasses and looking him in the eyes, “so they know you’re human.”
Richard Spencer a white supremacist leader, made a speech about Whitefish in November 2016 when he declared, “Hail Trump!” alluding to how the Nazis greeted Adolf Hitler.
Neighbors around the lake and others in the community have been working on and off for several years on the effort to rename the lake. About 20 property owners on the lake and the golf club signed the petition to change the name.
The lake is roughly 61 acres in size and does not have public access.
The history of the name isn’t largely known. USGS maps show the name of the lake as Lost Coon Lake for certain years, while others show it as having no name.
According to the latest report, Flathead County District Court has officially renamed it “Lost Loon Lake.”
Source: AWM