by Clairice Still
Bruce Salisbury, MSGT, USAF (Retired) joined the service at 15, after his mother refused to allow him to play high school football. It seems his stubborn streak has served him well through the years and in his effort to have a mountain named for our KIA/MIA’s. He has worked tirelessly, overcoming varied objections and finally his labor for those he holds in such high esteem has borne fruit….Mount KIA/MIA is now, after 5 long years, officially the name of a peak located in Saguache County, CO.
When Bruce started his quest he attempted to have one of 33 mountains (within CO) with the name Sheep Mountain, renamed, but met with resistance. So, he looked for a suitable peak that was without a designated name figuring there would be no real reason for refusal. He was right; there was no real reason for refusal, but plenty of resistance just the same.
One of the biggest objections to overcome was presented by the Bureau of Land Management in July of 2005. They voiced concern about naming a feature with a U.S. Military commemorative subject matter, being in the midst of many features commemoratively named after Native Americans such as Chipeta. Andrew Cowell, a linguist who specializes in Native American languages, stated that the name “KIAMIA” could be construed and possibly misrepresented as a garbled Ute name.
Bruce contacted Thomas Givon, Distinguished Professor (emeritus) of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Oregon, who had worked for the Southern Ute Tribe for 10 years (1975-1985) as the founding director of the Ute Language Program. During his work with the tribe, he was responsible for putting together the three basic books about the Ute language. Following his retirement, he returned to reside on the S. Ute Reservation near Ignacio, Colorado. He maintained his interest in the Ute language and culture, and kept in personal contact with tribal members who still speak the language. After consultation with several Ute speakers, he determined that indeed the compound name Kiya-miya is meaningful in Ute, provided a place-name suffix (ending) is added to it, the full name thus revealing Kiya'-miya-vat. The meaning of such a name in Ute is then, "place where people walk about playing," or "place where people walk about laughing.” The verb stem kiya means, "To play," or "to laugh" in the Ute language. The verb stem miya means, "to walk around" (plural form) or "to do something while walking about" (plural form). It is his opinion that Kiya-miya-vat is a rather appropriate name for a mountain that would honor Ute, and all veterans. A warrior, once departed, crosses to "the other side," a place often described as one where a person may walk about in peace, without care, happy; in other words, " a place where people walk about laughing.”
This main objection being overcome left the board with little room for argument, so in October of 2006 the name was adopted by the Colorado and National Names Board. From that time until now the Forest Service had not given their blessing to the project, however, just days before the annual COGNA conference in October it was received, and the name was unanimously approved. It has been a long battle, but the victory is sweet.
Mt. KIA/MIA is located in Saguache County, CO close to Marshall Pass, from which one can see the mountain close-up. Rainbow Trail, passes over the Continental Divide, and crosses the Colorado Trail about a mile away, and then it drops onto the south side Mt. KIA/MIA to descend into the stream course of Silver Creek, later emerging to climb out near to Poncha Pass and proceed down the Sangre de Christo Mountain Range. There are jeep trails on both sides of this mountain which in winter become snowmobile trails, so it can be "near accessed" year around. You can easily view Mt KIA/MIA from highway 285 at the top of Poncha Pass as well.
Bruce noted that this monument will be here for the lifetime of our generation and continuing ones and be a symbol that will be covered with snow, washed with summer rain, warmed in the summer sun, and will change subtly over the centuries but forever be dedicated to America’s killed and missing in action, from all five armed services and all of our wars. When an American warrior falls, his family and friends can “go to the mountain” and not have to wait for years to have a memorial to their war constructed.
The arrangements for official ceremonies haven’t been finalized yet, but Bruce may make the journey to the mountain with his wife and a few close friends without all the pomp and circumstance. For years he has had dog tags engraved with the names of those he wants to honor and remember at this mountain, adding to his collection way too often along the way. It gives him peace of mind knowing that they and their loved ones now have an enduring monument, where those who wish to pay tribute and remember may enjoy the beauty and serenity; perhaps finding a measure of peace as well.
Mount KIA/MIA Monument Finalized
Bruce Salisbury holding dog tags of those he will honor at Mt. KIA/MIA
Mt. KIA/MIA
Bruce is still busy working on the details of the dedication, the website and the formalities involved is a major undertaking requiring a lot of work!
There are other groups who are also doing this, but they are not affiliated NOR endorsed by Bruce.
Please watch here for the formal plans. We will keep you updated as the details unfold.
For some four years now I have been asking the "Colorado Geographic Names Board" to allow us to name a tall Colorado mountain in honor of America's killed-in-action / missing-in-action, from all American Armed Forces, and from all our countries wars. This quest seems to have culminated in once again being told, ”NO”.
I suspect that if the citizens of the state of Colorado were allowed to vote on this proposal, it might well be accepted, but these "board members" are appointed, and they seem to march to their own chosen drummer, and the band is small, and leaning to the left.
Four years is a long time to work for something, and while their first refusal made sense, because they just did not want to change the name of one of their thirty three "Sheep Mountains" (within the borders of Colorado). This latest "turn down" makes me see red. I will let you share the "minutes" from their July 2005 meeting(see below ), to which I was not invited. I have never been contacted by any "board member" and have only managed to get a copy of this set of minutes because a friend sent it to me a few days ago.
Several of the points I wish to make are as follows: "The board" refers to the mountain chosen as a "significant rock outcropping”, though it is 11,282 feet tall, and has a stream on each side of it to define it. Starvation Creek, which then meets Poncha Creek, flows around the north side of the mountain, while Silver Creek flows along the south side, where they join. To me, and the National Geographic Names Board, it is a mountain!
To call it a rock outcropping is bizarre. In the next paragraph, it is stated that "the new chosen feature would be considered insignificant when considering the importance of such a memorial". Where else on the face of the earth is an 11,282 ft. high mountain considered a rock outcropping?
Actually, this rock strewn mountain is covered with conifers, and is much too high for me to climb, since I am now old and frail. Of course, it is "rocky", but why the hell would we want to build a permanent memorial on a "sand pile"? One of the nice features of this mountain is that it can be accessed, within a few footsteps. It has a nice parking lot on the well maintained, county road 200, just at the east end of the mountain. The last time we drove up there, I admired the "mountain base" from the parking lot, and thought that it would be nice to sit on a rock, under the shade of a tree on that mountainside, and that someone in a wheelchair could visit there quite easily.
Another aspect of this handsome mountain, is that it does not have an English name, nor a Spanish name, nor any nickname so far as we can determine.
Going beyond this point, we also chose this mountain because the County Commission of Saguache County are quite willing to have this mountain called "Mount Kiamia" (with the concurrence of the powers that be). The "board" says that, "The county has stated that they have no objection," which is a far cry from the immediate and enthusiast acceptance freely given by the county.
Another important consideration in choosing this site was the expectation that it would receive a lot of visitors, and while there were higher and more exciting peaks without names, this mountain has "near access", which means it can be touched by anyone, no matter how old or feeble they might be. We are not all "mountain climbers" you know. Even with the near access, there are no roads or heavily traveled trails atop this mountain, and that is as it should be. Close access is good - stomping all over that lovely mountain is bad. I am sure there will be people who'd like to hike to the top, salute those fallen heroes, take photos to share with others, and come back down. God bless those still strong enough to climb up there.
Also, we chose this mountain because it is close enough to infrastructure that people can stay in nearby Salida, or in Saguache Colorado, and sleep within a few minutes of the mountain. You can easily view this tall mountain from highway 285 at the top of Poncha Pass, and this might be as close as many folks would care to approach. They might just read a roadside sign, take a photo, and get on with their lives.
I expect that if this mountain becomes Mount Kiamia, then the cities of Salida, and Saguache, and other towns nearby, might need to build more motels and restaurants. Maybe some more jeep tour companies to facilitate guests who might come there to view this mountain, and honor the family members and friends who died fighting for America.
This mountain is close to Marshall Pass, from which one can see the mountain close-up. Rainbow Trail too, passes over the Continental Divide, and crosses the Colorado Trail about a mile from here, then, it drops onto the south side of this mountain to descend into the stream course of Silver Creek, later emerging to climb out near to Poncha Pass and proceed down the Sangre de Christo Mountain Range. There are jeep trails on both sides of this mountain which in winter become snowmobile trails, so it can be "near accessed" year around.
Area trails are available for mountain biking as well as horse and mule riding. In winter there are groomed snowmobile trails on all sides of the mountain.
From the top of this unnamed mountain, one can see yet another "Sheep Mountain" to the south, just across Silver Creek. Not that far away to the southwest, and easily seen from that mentioned Sheep Mountain" there is yet another, "Sheep Mountain". Oh yes, Colorado has herds of Sheep Mountains, and lots of "unnamed mountains", and I'd love to see one of them named "Mount Kiamia" to honor all our KIA / MIA.
I still hope that Colorado will allow us to name a mountain as "Mount Kiamia", and we will continue to work toward that end!
Bruce L Salisbury
We here at “The Veterans’ Voice” are squarly behind Bruce and his efforts to have a mountain named in honor of our KIA’s/MIA’s We will continue to follow this story and bring updates to you on how you can help as well! Veterans working together can make a difference.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I understand that Mr. Bruce L. Salisbury with a group of other veterans are proposing to name a hitherto unnamed peak in the San Isabel National Forest, between Saguache and Poncha Springs, Colorado, "Mount Kia-Mia". I have been asked by Mr. Salisbury to determine whether the name "Kia-Mia" has any meaning in the Ute lanhguage. The mountain peak to be thusly named indeed falls within traditional range of the three southern Ute bands(Moghuach, Kapuuta, Wimunuuch).
I worked for the So. Ute Tribe for 10 years (1975-1985) as the founding director of the Ute Language Program. During my work with the tribe, I was responsible for putting together the three basic books about the Ute language: Ute Dictionary (1979), Ute Reference Grammar (1980), and Ute Traditional Narratives (1985). The three books were published by the tribe under the rubric of Ute Press, Ignacio, CO All my knowledge of the Ute language comes from working with various tribal elders, all of them fluent speakers the language, most of them gone now. Following my retirement from the University of Oregon, I return to reside on the So Ute Reservation near Ignacio, Colorado. I have maintained my interest in the Ute language and culture, and have kept in personal contact with tribal members who still speak the language.
After consultation with several Ute speakers, I am in the position to determine that indeed the compound name Kiya-miya is meaningful in Ute, provided a place-name suffix (ending) is added to it, the full name thus revealing Kiya'-miya-vat. The meaning of such a name in Ute is then"place where people walk about playing" or "place where people walk about laughing". The verb stem kiya means "to play" or "to laugh" in the Ute language. The verb stem miya means "to walk around" (plural form)or "to do something while walking about" (plural form).
Finally, from my--admittedly limited--knowledge of Ute culture, and being myself a veteran, I would say that Kiya-miya-vat is a rather appropriate name for a mountain that would honor Ute veterans. A warrior, once departed, crosses to "the other side, "a place often described as one where a person may walk about in peace, without care, happy; in other words, " a place where people walk about laughing".
Sincerely,
Thomas Givon
Distinguished Professor (emeritus)
of Linguistics and Cognitive Science
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
What Does KIAMIA mean
in Ute??? Read on...
Colorado Board of Geographic Names
Minutes of the July 18th, 2005 Meeting
Boulder, Colorado
Board members in attendance:
William Bright University of Colorado-Boulder
Andrew Cowell University of Colorado -Boulder
Terry Ketelsen Colorado State Archives
Bob Malcolm United States Forest Service
George Orlowski Colorado State Archives
Sally Pearce Colorado Department of Transportation
NEW BUSINESS
Mount KIAMIA Saguche County
The proposed name would honor those service men and women killed in action(KIA) and those missing in action(MIA). This is the second proposal submitted by the applicant. The new proposed location is a significant rock outcropping lying west of Poncha Pass in the San Isabel National Forest. Saguche County has stated that they have no objection to the naming proposal. The Bureau of Land Management has voiced concern about naming a feature with a U.S. Military commemorative subject matter, which lies in the midst of many features commemoratively named after Native Americans such as Chipeta. Being in a location surrounded by Native American names. Andrew Cowell, a linguist who specializes in Native American languages, stated that the name “KIAMIA” could be construed and possibly misrepresented as a garbled Ute name. Also discussed was the use of an acronym as opposed to a proper noun. The use of all capital letters, which would draw immediate attention to the feature, and that the new chosen feature should be considered insignificant when considering the importance of such a memorial, and that for such an important cause a feature should reflect a higher magnitude of scale.
With due respect for patriotism and all of those killed in action and missing in action as a result of our nation’s conflicts, William Bright motioned, seconded by Sally Pearce and voted unanimously to not endorse the naming proposal. SPECIAL NOTE: Bob Malcolm requested and did abstain from voting on this proposal
The planned meeting of 10/18/2006 took place, but the name was not adopted. The snag being that the National Board needs an amended request from Bruce to name the mountain, and spell it as "Mt. KIA / MIA." Now the State of Colorado had not wanted to use an acronym and all caps......but national prefers this, and they made it plain to all. They feel that with the name as Kiamia, people might not recognize the attachment of the mountain to America's killed in action / missing in action.
We expect Colorado to have another names board meeting in January and then National will vote on acceptance. Bruce feels great progress has been made and that eventual success is almost certain!
So to all who took the time to call and write we say "thanks," your voices were heard!
All I can say is "Yeehaa!" Below is the letter Bruce recieved announcing the official naming of the mountain:
Good Monday morning Bruce.
Having just returned last night from the annual COGNA conference (this year in Lexington, KY), I'm pleased to report that the BGN approved the proposal for "Mount KIA/MIA." After last year's debate and all the waiting for comments from various parties, I have to say there was very little discussion this year and it seemed the members were more than happy to just approve the name in its amended form. We received the "okay" from the Forest Service just days before the meeting, so I was able to add it to the agenda at the last moment. By the way, the approval was unanimous.
You should receive a formal letter of notification from the BGN in the next couple of weeks, and I will try to inform all the folks who sent us e-mails as well.
Also, the new name has already been entered into GNIS, the official names database, which you can view at http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html (Under Domestic Names, Search GNIS on the left, then type the name in the Feature Name box, and click Detail Report to view the full record. Several map links on the right side show the location, although not the name yet of course).
Anyhow, apologies for the brief note, but I knew you'd want to know as soon as possible.
All the best, and I know we'll chat more soon....
Jenny Runyon
US BGN staff
How it Came To Be
