Winter-2022

A popular hotel and the surrounding region of LakeTahoe formerly known as SquawValley are in the process of undergoing a name change. Soon, the Resort at Squaw Creek will be rebranded with a new name that is in alignment with the core values of the resort. Palisades Tahoe, the neighboring ski area formerly known as SquawValley Ski Resort, has already completed their rebranding to remove the term “squaw,” a highly offensive term for a Native American woman. TheWashoeTribe of California and Nevada are the original inhabitants of Lake Tahoe and the land around it. In 1850, when California became a state, Squaw Valley received its name, which, according to the Washoe Tribe, has “a dehumanizing and derogatory meaning.” Multiple states besides California have begun or have already completed the process of removing the same name from roads and landmarks. “We have been in the area for thousands of years,” says Daniel Cruz of the Washoe Tribe Historic Preservation Office. “Olympic Valley is within the ancestral homeland of theWashoe people.The word [squaw] itself is a con- stant reminder of the unjust treatment of the native people, of the Washoe people. It’s a constant reminder of those time periods when it was not good for us. It’s a term that was inflicted upon us by somebody else and we don’t agree with it.” According to KatWalton, public relations specialist for PalisadesTahoe,“In 2020, we committed to changing our name [from SquawValley Ski Resort], as the for- mer name was offensive and derogatory. In 2021, after working with the commu- nity, researching local history and countless rounds of creative exploration, we announced our new name, Palisades Tahoe. The entire resort is now titled RESORT AT SQUAW CREEK Ol ymp i c Va l l ey, Ca l i for n i a B Y S A B R I NA S P E I DE L D E S T I N AT I O N S C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 193 Photos: Courtesy of Resort at Squaw Creek