Art Mijares beat the devil.
Mijares was a substance abuser for 10 years. Despite the fact that he had the perfect American life – a wife, three children, two cars and a house – Mijares felt empty.
“During that period of time, I served the devil. If it wasn’t for my mother I would have been in a state penitentiary,” he said.
Mijares, now a deeply religious man, works at the California State Department of Rehabilitation in Antioch. He speaks in a bold and dramatic fashion, but his demeanor is warm and open.
At the rehabilitation center, he helps former substance abusers ease back into the work force and society. He also volunteers at Christian-based organizations like Victory Outreach.
To Mijares, the devil is a powerful presence in our everyday lives. In his work, he sees how people are always struggling between God and the devil.
“The tools of the devil are drugs, alcohol, sex crimes – that comes from hell,” said Mijares.
In his drive to literally beat out the devil, Mijares has filed a formal request to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the name of Mount Diablo, which in Spanish means “devil mountain.”
This is not the first time someone has expressed opposition to the name on religious grounds.
“In the 19th century there were people who felt it was inappropriate,” said Beverly Lane, curator at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley.
In 1866, the San Francisco-based Congregational Church fought to change the mountain’s name, according to a story by Beth Ortiz in the American Indian Quarterly, Fall 1989. Church members wrote in a newspaper editorial, “We abhor the wicked creature to whom the name is appropriate, and spurn the use of the name for anything noble or good on earth.” The church representatives then suggested using the name Kahwookum. They said an unnamed Indian man who lived at the base of the mountain told them this was the mountain’s original name. The California Legislature ruled that the name was inoffensive.
Even in recent history there has been the occasional grumble, said Seth Adams, director of Land Programs for Save Mount Diablo.
Mijares is, however, the first person to ever take his case to the federal level, according to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.
The Board requires all petitioners to suggest a replacement name. At first Mijares suggested naming the Contra Costa natural landmark after Ronald Reagan. He thought Reagan was a good choice because he was a former president and governor of California.
“They couldn’t use Reagan. You have to wait five years after a person passes away. I couldn’t wait that long,” said Mijares.
His next proposed name was Mount Kawukum. In his application to the Board he claimed the name is indigenous to the area. He said it means “laughing mountain, everywhere seen.”
He believes the name Mount Diablo, or Devil Mountain, is “derogatory and profane,” according to the Board’s official docket.
“Kawukum is definitely not an Indian name,” said Beverly Lane. “It has no relationship with any Indians around here. They were Miwok-speaking. There were definitely Indian names before (Mount Diablo) because it was such a prominent mountain. It was sacred to the Indians.”
There are several theories on how Mount Diablo got its name. The most commonly accepted is the one posted on the Mount Diablo Interpretative Association Web site.
Early in the 19th century a Spanish military expedition was searching for runaway mission Indians in a willow thicket near Buchanan Field. The soldiers surrounded the runaway Indians, their success nearly assured. In the morning, however, the Indians had seamlessly escaped. Hence the Spanish called the site “Monte del Diablo,” which means “Thicket of the Devil.” English-speaking settlers later mistranslated the term and thought “monte” referred to the mountain’s prominent summit. The settlers came to use the name Mount Diablo.
Mijares first went to an employee at Mt. Diablo State Park about changing the name. He was sent to the director of the State Parks and Recreation Department and then to officials of Contra Costa County. Everyone refused his request for a name change.
Before going to the federal level, he wrote a letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger whose office wrote back and said the governor agreed with the others’ decision.
In December 2004, Mijares officially filed his request with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, said Lou Yost, chief of the geographic names project at the U.S. Geological Survey.
“The board relies heavily on local use and acceptance,” said Yost. “It doesn’t like to change longstanding names unless there is a lot of local support. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback on this one. Most of them are cons, a couple of pros.”
Mijares suggested that he is backed by several East Bay Christian organizations.
His battle is an uphill one. The use of “diablo” is ubiquitous in Contra Costa County. The community of Diablo, Mt. Diablo State Park, Diablo Vista Middle School, Diablo Road – the list goes on and on.
Adams believes Mijares is trying to rewrite history.
“Mount Diablo is a well-known and beloved name. I don’t think his petition has much of a chance,” said Adams.
“It strikes me as strange that Mount Diablo was named in a time when we were much more aware of religious themes. Deeply religious people named things after the devil to actually keep his name before us,” added Adams.
The board will vote on the name change in October 2005. Members will consider whether the mountain’s name is derogatory and profane, as Mijares suggests, if there is popular support in changing the name of Mount Diablo, and whether Mount Kawukum is an appropriate name replacement.
Even Mijares is not fully confidant about Mount Kawukum.
“I’m not so sure about that Native American name,” said Mijares, adding, “It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s not the devil.”
Despite a virtual mountain of opposition, Mijares remains firm.
“I’m not going away. This is a God thing. Either I’m a raving lunatic or I have a connection with God.”
To voice an opinion on the name change, write to the U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Office, Reston, VA 20192.
