Trump dumps panel on offensive names, so Tomahawk River's Halfbreed Rapids likely stays
The effort to change offensive place names has ground to a halt under the Trump administration, meaning no one should expect Halfbreed Rapids near Rhinelander to be renamed anytime soon.
President Donald Trump's administration dismantled the committee, which was tasked with removing racist names from landmarks.
The Reconciliation in Place Names Committee was established by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in 2021. Haaland was the first Native American person to serve in the role, which oversees the nation’s public lands and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Trump administration dismantled the committee, which was tasked with removing racist names from landmarks.
While in office, Haaland signed an order to remove the derogatory name “squ*w” from place names across the country. The term may have started as a mispronunciation of an Algonquin word for women, but over time has taken a significantly more derogatory meaning. In Wisconsin, 28 place names using that slur were changed in 2022. Most are bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes and creeks in the northern, western and northeast portions of the state.
The work was ongoing as the committee sought to change more names in the country considered discriminatory, including place names that honored people who massacred Native communities or enslaved Black people.
"Removing other racist names like 'Halfbreed Rapids' is the next logical step toward reflecting accurate and respectful native history in Wisconsin," said Kris Goodwill, who is Menominee and the former tribal liaison for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which was helping the effort.
But the committee never got the chance before it was dismantled by Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, former governor of North Dakota, who was considered a friend by tribal leaders.
That left Goodwill disheartened.
Halfbreed Rapids is on the Tomahawk River about 20 miles west of Rhinelander near the Lac du Flambeau Reservation and within Ojibwe Ceded Territory, which is land the U.S. took from the Ojibwe, but where tribal members reserved the right to continue fishing and hunting.
Some people, including local officials, in the area acknowledge the offensiveness of the name and say a different name is sometimes used, but nothing official has been done. Halfbreed Rapids also is still mentioned on the Oneida County's tourism website encouraging paddling on the Tomahawk River.
It is one of five places in the nation with "halfbreed" in its official name, all associated with water, as listed by the U.S. Geological Survey, which is overseen by the Department of the Interior.
“The dismantling of the committee tasked with removing racist names from landmarks reflects the deep harm caused by derogatory place names and the importance of renaming efforts as part of broader movements for justice, visibility, and healing for Native American women and communities," said Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation President Shannon Holsey.
Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This story was updated to add a video.