Feedback for Patrick’s Point State Park to change its name to Sue-Meg due September 28th

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TRINIDAD, Calif. (KIEM)- The Department of Parks and Recreation is asking for the public’s feedback to change the name of Patrick’s Point State Park in Humboldt to Sue-Meg State Park to honor the original place name for the area used by the Yurok people. 

In the 1930’s California State Parks took over Patrick’s Point and kept the place name that was already in use, which goes back to the 1800s about Patrick Beegan, one of the first white men to settle in Humboldt.

“Killed at least two young Indian males, and then when he was brought into Trinidad in the local court for a hearing, and they were interrogating him about those charges in the middle of the interrogation, he jumped up and ran out the door and escaped. So they could never bring him to trial, but he was charged with murder,” Jerry Rohde, Local Historian at Humboldt State University.

Local Tribes feel that Patrick’s Point, like many other site names around Humboldt County, are offensive to their tribe. 

California State Parks is looking at numerous place names, monuments, and interpretations across the state park system; the project led by the California State Parks hopes to identify and redress discriminatory terms of features attached to the State Parks and transportation systems. 

“Here, because it’s State Parks land and they are administering it, they can go through a simpler process,” Jerry Rohde.

Public feedback on the potential name change will be accepted by Tuesday, September 28th, 2021. California State Parks is recommending that the commission approve the change of name to Sue-Meg State Park.

Written comments may be emailed to planning@parks.ca.gov with the words “Patrick’s Point Name Change” in the subject line.