If you know your Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley history, then you’ll understand that the recent controversy to rechristen the eastern peak of Mount Sopris as “John Denver Peak” is hardly news. It’s merely the latest in our long tradition of attempted name switcheroos. And we must have a certain affinity for rock stars, as finalists in the local government contest to rename the former Droste open space looked to icons Jimi Hendrix and Sir Paul McCartney to inspire the proposed “Wild Thing Ridge” and “Let It Be Mountain Park.”

Consider this: Even “John Denver” is a changed name, the beloved singer-songwriter was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. Since the earliest days of Aspen, locals have constantly tried to change the names of the surrounding peaks and valleys, and such efforts have always met with resistance. Sadly, most of this history has been forgotten, swept aside to make way for seemingly more important controversies. However, a few of these barely remembered events are worth reimagining:

2006: Smuggler Mountain, Aspen’s most popular hiking spot, is briefly renamed “Talking Loud On Your Cell Phone Hill.” Though several try, nobody can come up with a valid objection. The name doesn’t stick, however, due to constant distractions and the reduced attention spans of everyone involved.

1985: A group of real estate developers put together a petition to officially change the name of Aspen to “Cha-Ching.” The public outcry is overwhelming, and eventually the developers lose. But only sorta.

1976: A grassroots campaign gets underway to rename every geological feature in Aspen “Doobie.” Doobie Lake, Doobie Pass, Doobie Holler, etc…. To say this campaign got “under way” is misleading. A petition was drawn up, folded into an airplane, and sailed across the room, and the entire effort was forgotten amidst a bout of giggling.

1958: Aspen’s new airport, “Sardy Field,” debuts. This tiny postage stamp of an airport started life as a gravel runway with no control tower... and a far more descriptive name: “Spare Trousers Meadow.”

1949: Walter Paepcke creates The Goethe Bicentennial Convocation in Aspen in honor of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German author and playwright. In an interesting footnote, both Paepcke and Goethe, at some point, considered changing their surnames to “Deutschendorf,” believing it might be “easier to pronounce.”

1893–1947: This span of Aspen history between the mining bust and the ski boom is now referred to as The Quiet Years. But this wasn’t always the case. At first, they were known as the “Quite Years.” As in, “Ain’t ‘quite’ as many people here as last week.” It was only after an editorial typo in 1931 that “quite” became “quiet,” and it stuck. This proved to be one of the least controversial name changes in Aspen’s history, as people had more pressing matters to attend to. Like eating.

1705: The Ute Indians, after much debate, agree to change the twin-peaked mountain’s name to “Mount Sopris.” The elders are up in arms, insisting that the landmark should continue to be called what it’s been known as for countless generations—“ Mount Deutschendorf.”

ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O'LEARY