'''Denali''', formerly Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain in [[North America]]. It is located in south central [[Alaska]] and rises 20,310 ft (6,190 m) above sea level.<ref>[http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=4312 U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey]</ref>
In the 19th century, Russian residents called the mountain ''Bolshaya Gora'' (the big mountain), an attempt to translate the local Indian name into Russian. In 1896, gold prospector William Dickey wrote an article for the ''New York Sun'' in which he suggested the name "Mount McKinley." This was soon after [[William McKinley]], a supporter of the [[gold standard]], received the [[Republican Party]] nomination for president. At first, this name was treated as a political joke. After McKinley was murdered in 1901, the name Dickey had bestowed seemed a fitting tribute to the slain president.<ref>"[http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/31/denali-or-mckinley-how-a-19th-century-political-joke-turned-into-a-119-year-long-debate/ Denali or McKinley? How a 19th century political ‘joke’ turned into a 119-year-long debate]", ''Washington Post'', August 31, 2015.</ref> The 1911 edition of ''Britannica'' calls it gives the name as "Mount McKinley," and this was the only name that was widely used at the time.<ref>"Alaska," ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' (1911).</ref>
In June 1913, Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens led the first expedition to the summit.<ref>Woodside, Chris, "[http://chriswoodside.com/who-led-first-ascent-denali Who led the first ascent of Denali?]"</ref> In his account of the expedition, published in 1918, Stuck argued that the name of the mountain should be changed to "Denali," which he claimed was the traditional Indian name of the mountain.<ref>Stuck, Hudson, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9c55AAAAMAAJ&dq= The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley): A Narrative of the First Complete Ascent of the Highest Peak in North America].'' (1918)</ref>