Tribune editorial: Name change not just about Sully’s past

Sully Creek State Park has a new name - Rough Rider State Park - but what difference it will make seems uncertain.

The park opened in 1970 near Medora and has been popular with horseback riders and hikers. The state plans a $4 million expansion of the park's campground and other amenities.

The park got its original name from Gen. Alfred Sully, a graduate of West Point, who served in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War and was involved in Native American campaigns before, during and after the Civil War. The campaigns were brutal at times, with Sully held responsible for the massacre of two Sioux Nation villages.

Sully's troops were at the battle of Killdeer Mountain, where legend has it the Native Americans escaped through a secret cave called the Medicine Hole.

There has been a movement in recent years to rename places that many people consider offensive or unjust to Native Americans. It's mostly been a federal effort, but some states also have changed names. The federal changes also have targeted military installations named after Confederate officers and officials.

State Parks and Recreation Director Cody Schulz noted park officials were aware of the "complex history" around Sully's military campaigns, but indicated the name change was motivated by a desire to find a more appropriate name.

He said the new name is a better fit for an equestrian park. The name also ties the park to Teddy Roosevelt, the most famous Rough Rider, the new Roosevelt library-museum being built in Medora and other Roosevelt attractions in the area.

Roosevelt, while much honored in North Dakota, comes with baggage. He shared the racist attitudes of his time and followed an aggressive foreign policy.

Sully had a somewhat up and down career, but he served his country most of his adult life. It's doubtful many North Dakotans know much about him, but some of his actions against Native Americans would be deplored today. At the same time, Schulz said parks officials didn't receive complaints about the Sully name.

While those familiar with Sully Creek State Park may be curious about the name change, it's doubtful many will complain.

The new name seems mostly to be a marketing and tourist tool. Officials hope all things Teddy Roosevelt will draw more people to Medora and North Dakota. Many in the state are enamored with Roosevelt and see him as tourism gold.

Whether other parks, memorials or historic sites in the state will be targeted for name changes remains to be seen. In 2020 there was an effort to rename Custer Park in Bismarck. Some residents believe the park named after Lt. Col. George A. Custer honors someone who mistreated Native Americans.

The Bismarck Park Board decided not to change the name; instead, it decided to place an educational marker at the park with information on Custer.

Another general involved in the Native American campaigns, Henry Sibley, has a park named for him south of Bismarck - General Sibley Park and Campground.

Changing names doesn't change history, though it can clarify who deserves to be honored. But that's not so easy to decide. Attitudes change over the generations and everyone has flaws. What disqualifies someone from being honored?

Renaming the state park appears to be as much a tourism decision as a judgment on Sully's character.

The Tribune Editorial Board believes it's appropriate at times to change names, but it needs to be done after a lot of thought and discussion.