Devil Mountain Expeditions

The battle for Mount Diablo’s name (and soul), Part II

 

 How to take the “devil” out of “Mount Diablo”? Rename it after President Ronald Reagan, of course, declares Arthur Mijares. A pious Christian, Mijares, of Oakley, believes “Diablo,” the Spanish word for devil, is “derogatory and profane” and proposed the name change to the United States Board on Geographic Names.

This is his second try to rename Contra Costa County’s 3,849-foot-high mountain after Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004. During Mijares’ first campaign in 2005, he told the Chronicle:

“When I look at that mountain, I see beauty, an entity that was not created by the devil. The devil does nothing but rob, cheat, steal and kill. That is his nature. I’ve known about this for years, but I’ve now decided it is time to act.”

His initial request was denied because he was told honorees must be dead for at least five years. Undaunted, Mijares suggested Mount Kawukum, which he said meant “laughing mountain, everywhere seen.” Kawakum is apparently a fictitious word, according an official interviewed by the Chronicle. He also suggested Mount Yahweh, Mount Miwok or Mount Ohlone.

The mountain’s demonic moniker stems from an incident involving the Spanish troops around 1805. Soliders who were hunting for Native American runaways came across a village of Chupcans. They surrounded the village at a willow thicket, but the Chupcans mysteriously escaped, so the Spaniards dubbed the area “Monte del Diablo” or “Thicket of the Devil.” “Monte” was later misinterpreted as mountain and as time passed, tales of “evil spirits” and a Satanic sighting by a priest emerged.

In the unlikely event Mijares gets his way, the promontory would join a long roster of commemorations for the Great Communicator, including a peak in New Hampshire formerly known as Mount Clay.