|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Oakley resident Art Mijares, 61, recently renewed his quest for Mount Diablo to drop its devilish name. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is tentatively scheduled to discuss the change at its Feb. 23 meeting.
In 2005, Mijares, a deeply religious man, filed a formal request to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to make the change but his request was denied. He told the Danville Weekly at that time that he’d been a substance abuser for 10 years, serving the devil, so doesn’t take this foe lightly. He went on to work at the California State Department of Rehabilitation in Antioch.
Save Mount Diablo, an organization dedicated to preserving lands on and around Mount Diablo, reports that a survey shows 92 percent of local residents in favor of keeping the current name. Its Web site explains the names with this quote from “The Green Age of Asher Witherow:
“On a boggy day in 1806 a detachment of Spanish soldiers apprehended a band of Bay Miwok Indians in a marsh at the foot of a solitary California mountain. …. the Spaniards detained them in a nearby thicket as night fell. ….The next morning the soldiers woke in a dawn steam thick enough to blank the big mountain from sight. They found themselves bereft of their errant mission-folk …. Bedeviled as they were, they forswore the place Monte Del Diablo, Thicket of the Devil, and for years the name lingered like a fog over that marsh. Then when the English-speaking settlers arrived, the Spanish Monte was taken for Mountain and was thought to refer to the twin-shouldered mass looming nearby. So the mountain became Mount Diablo, made to bear an unholy namesake.”
Seth Adams, director of Land Programs for Save Mount Diablo, also said at the time that Mount Diablo is a well-known and beloved name.
“It strikes me as strange that Mount Diablo was named in a time when we were much more aware of religious themes,” Adams said. “Deeply religious people named things after the devil to actually keep his name before us.
Five years ago Mijares wanted to change the name to Mount Kawukum, which he said means “laughing mountain, everywhere seen.” He mentioned renaming it after President Reagan at that time, since he was a former governor, but names cannot be used until five years after a person’s death.
Now that more time has passed, Mijares is renewing his quest for Mount Reagan.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Legislative Committee has recommended that the Board of Supervisors oppose the name change. The issue was proposed to be on the board’s agenda for Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Save Mount Diablo has T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts reading “Don’t mess with Mount Diablo,” which can be ordered here. Part of the proceeds benefit Save Mount Diablo.
Dear Dolores,
We all might say, what the HAL?
Any name change for Mt. Diablo will not be recognized by the mountain’s neighbors or necessarily considered by the State for its park designation. So, why would a request so far down the food chain to the CCC-BOS even matter in the consideration of our beloved “devil mountain?”
It is little more than engaging a random stranger in such conversation on the Iron Horse Trail, “Say stranger, do you know that THEY are trying to change the name of Mt. Diablo?” We should all expect the stranger(s) to reply, “No, but if you hum a few bars I will try to fake it!”
Cue the drum, Dolores, and get the hook for this vaudevillian.
the ROFL in Ralph N. Shirlet
How about just plain ol’ Mount “D”. As in over-D-veloped.
I find the name Mt. Reagan far more offensive than Mt. Diablo
Aside from the fact that I was born and raised here and am in favor of keeping the name, with the state in economic trouble already, who does this Oakley resident think would be paying to have all the literature and signs changed?
We love our Mt. Diablo and don’t feel we should change the name because this man is overcoming person transgressions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy this man is on a much better path in life, but this should be a personal road of travel. Plus, what about the people that weren’t exactly Reagan supporters?
Leave the name. Most of us don’t take the name THAT literally.
Boy…what a waste of everyone’s time!
Mt. Reagan? What a joke.
If you ride a bike (or unicycle) up the mountain, you will understand why they call it Diablo about half way up!
Don’t change the name!
Why must we spend so much time, money and energy catering to such nonsense?
……………..or if we’re really going to honor Ronnie Raygun in an appropriate manner, how’z about Mt. D-regulation?
Given our current state economic crisis, perhaps the state should consider other financial avenues for raising revenue. California lawmakers could solicit corporate sponsorships through a bidding process for re-naming mountains and bridges.
How about Sun or even Oracle Mountain in exchange for Mt. Diablo over the next three years in exchange $25M, or even Hewitt-Packard Bridge for the bay bridge, that should be worth at least $50M.
Consider that, reduced bridge fares subsidized by major corporation naming rights.
“Posted by OutSideTheBox, a member of the San Ramon Valley High School community, 1 hour ago
Given our current state economic crisis, perhaps the state should consider other financial avenues for raising revenue. California lawmakers could solicit corporate sponsorships through a bidding process for re-naming mountains and bridges.
How about Sun or even Oracle Mountain in exchange for Mt. Diablo over the next three years in exchange $25M, or even Hewitt-Packard Bridge for the bay bridge, that should be worth at least $50M.
Consider that, reduced bridge fares subsidized by major corporation naming rights.”
Oh, I wish you hadn’t said that (even though it is funny). Now some politician will seriously consider it!?!
I like it being called Mt. Diablo….and don’t find it conflicts with religious belief.
Although, I do find Derek’s “Mt. D-regulation” clever.
The idea of changing the name of Mt. Diablo is absurd. Tell Art M. to change is way of thinking.
What a joke…
Could you imagine the can of worms this is? I say we start taking votes of the President we name the mountain after. I’m putting bets on Mt Coolidge….. I’m astonished the Board of Supervisors will even be faced with this. I suspect they will laugh this guy out the door.
A waste of time even discusing the name change. Mr. Mijares. I’m suse you have better things to do. Who knows? We might change your name to Art Diablo Mijares.
I think this a ” Crazy ” idea. I just sold my home I had for sixteen years it was right off Diablo Road, such a beautiful area. Always love looking up towards the mountain. Now I live on the other side of Danville but still can look up at the beauty of Mt. Diablo.
I don’t think the name should be changed at all. I have not lived in Danville nearly twenty years the name ” Diablo ” is all over this area.
There are many towns, street signs, all over the United States with rather unsual names…..even some rather offensive.If someone tried to change all of these it would could cost billions of dollars.
I don’t beieve in my heart that ” One ” man should be able to try for this change….On top of this he does not even live in this area. Rather difficult to understand why he would want to raise problems here.
Leave Mt. Diablo’s name as it is………
Hey, where are all the people who want to take the name “God” out of things!?! Shouldn’t they be arguing on the side of Art Mijare here?
Art just doesn’t want the State forcing him to see or use the name of Satan for the State’s public assets. It’s establishment of religion (as that phrase is currently mis-construed). I think the Supreme Court might enforce his logic.
This makes for an interesting twist on many people’s former arguments. 🙂
You guys don’t get it…this is all a joke and a ruse to elicit a response..
Tune in to CCTV today at 9:30 AM, as the BOS makes their recommendations.
Let’s just change it to “Mt. Religious Whack Job”