WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – The federal government has released a list of hundreds of geographic features that carry an offensive name and one of them is right here in Whatcom County.
In fact, the Washington Department of Natural Resources ok’d a name change in 2020 for the former Squaw Creek near Lynden.
It’s now called Paatstel Creek, named after the historic village that was once near the creek’s headwaters.
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland officially declared the word “squaw” a historically derogative term for indigenous women last November.
Her department has announced a list of replacement names for 660 places in three dozen states that feature the name.
A public comment period is getting underway.