June 27, 2017 - 6:47 AM
MOOSE PASS, Alaska - Two mountaineering brothers who lived in Alaska during the 1960s want a ridge and three mountain peaks named after a train because they say the formation looks like one — but their effort has run into opposition from local officials representing the small community of Moose Pass.
Winford Bludworth said he and his brother were the first people to climb the peaks in 1969 and recommended naming the ridge Locomotive Ridge and the peaks Engine, Tender and Caboose, the Peninsula-Clarion reported (http://bit.ly/2scPvR1 ). The Mountaineering Club of Alaska sent Bludworth's request to state officials in March.
The Alaska Railroad Corporation has long had a significant presence on the eastern Kenai Peninsula and in Moose Pass. The corporation's board members supported the naming effort, according to a letter returned to Bludworth.
But the effort has faced opposition from people who say residents do not recognize or use those names.
The Moose Pass Advisory Planning Commission unanimously voted against the train names. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly also refused to support it.
The state Historical Commission will continue hearing public input on the proposal before deciding whether to reject the proposal of send it to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for final approval.
"The best reason to name anything is what the people use and what the local people want," said Joan Antonson, Alaska's deputy state historic preservation officer.
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Information from: (Kenai, Alaska) Peninsula Clarion, http://www.peninsulaclarion.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2017