A woman had petitioned to rename East Sopris on Mount Sopris for the singer John Denver in Colorado. Renaming the near 13’er was reportedly opposed by 74 percent of the people in Aspen and Carbondale.
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As a 30 year resident of Carbondale, Colorado, I am absolutely against re-naming any part of Mount Sopris, and especially not in honor of John Denver.
My husband and I live in the shadow of Mount Sopris, own a business here, and have raised 3 children who attended the public schools here. We are very involved in this vibrant community and have many family and friends in the Carbondale area. We have not heard of ANYONE who is in favor of this petition to name one of the peaks after John Denver.
Mount Sopris not only dominates our skyline and serves as the most outstanding geographic landmark for much of the Roaring Fork Valley, it is also a source of spiritual inspiration and provides emotional sustenance for those of us who are fortunate enough to live here. Many of us make it a ritual to climb Mount Sopris at least once a year. This mountain means a lot to us. So please, don’t re-name any part of Mount Sopris.
Come on people. Naming part of Mt Sopris after John will not take away anything from your mountain. As a John Denver fan, I think it is great that you will have to explain the name of the peak. Whatever it takes to keep John’s legacy alive.
I for one will find spiritual inspiration and emotional sustenance when I visit the area, and it would mean a lot to me also to climb “Mount John Denver”. Don’t be so selfish.
Ms. Warcup’s partly correct–nothing in the names we give to a place can add or detract from it’s intrinsic worth. Where the name of a peak or valley is significant is in what it says about us, “We the People” and the things we value. Setting aside John Denver’s relative sociocultural importance, does anyone who proposes to rename this summit know anything about Richard Sopris and why Coloradans would choose to honor him? For one, he was part of an 1862 force that raced south from Denver to battle Texans near Santa Fe and prevent a Southern takeover of New Mexico and Colorado territories. It is an exaggeration to say that without Sopris and co. a Confederate flag might be flying over the Roaring Fork Valley? Perhaps, but no more of a stretch than holding that the area’s most prominent feature should be given an entertainer’s stage name. If happy feelings are the standard, then why not name it after my dog? He (usually) makes me happy.