Story of the Land

Sopris Residence Hall, Spring Valley campus

As we go about running errands or attending a meeting, we think about the name of the street at which we need to turn or the building in which the meeting will be held, but rarely think about the origin for the name of the street or building. Why do our residential students live in Sopris Hall overlooking Mt. Sopris and not Wemagooah Kazuhchich Hall overlooking Mt. Wemagooah Kazuhchich? Is it just too hard to say or does thinking about place name origins bring uncomfortable truths to light? Both?

Is the campus, intentionally or unintentionally, communicating that our history starts in 1860 when Richard Sopris (see factoid here) came to the area? As our college continues to explore our land history and actions such as land acknowledgement and land restitution, shouldn’t we also examine place names and the associated values and beliefs? If a sense of belonging is something we strive to create for our colleagues and for our current and prospective students, we should be aware of ways we can add or subtract to the feeling of belonging. Unlike street names which are determined by municipalities, college place names are within the purview of the campus community.

I would welcome your thoughts and suggestions regarding various actions we can and should take as a campus community, including your perspectives on place names.

“Naming important places should be a way to remember or learn about important people and events. It changes what we talk about.” -Dr. Adriana Nieto, Associate Professor of Chicana/o Studies, MSU Denver