Another Northern California Town Voting to Change its Controversial Name
The town of Kelseyville in Lake County is holding a vote on whether to change its name, following a local debate over its historical significance. This unincorporated town, named after Andrew Kelsey, has a population of around 3,000 and lies near Clear Lake, North America’s oldest lake.
Kelsey was a 19th-century settler notorious for enslaving, torturing, and abusing the local Eastern Pomo and Wappo tribes. He was eventually killed by those he oppressed, which led to a retaliatory massacre by the U.S. Army on what became known as Bloody Island.
“This name serves as a painful reminder of a time when our ancestors faced unimaginable hardships,” Flaman McCloud Jr., chairman of the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, said in a letter in favor of the measure.
For two years, a group named Citizens for Healing has been pushing to rename the town “Konocti,” after the nearby dormant volcano, aiming to move away from Kelsey’s violent legacy. Initially, they attempted to change the name through the county initiative process, but later discovered that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has the authority to change town names considered offensive in unincorporated areas.
In November, Lake County residents will vote on a ballot measure recommending the name change.
Alan Fletcher, a lead organizer from Citizens for Healing, anticipates that the majority of Lake County voters will heavily lean towards keeping the name Kelseyville. Fletcher mentioned that his group would be pleased even if just 30 percent of voters supported the name change.
Despite the expected outcome, there remains a chance that the Board of Supervisors could still decide to move forward with the change.
In reaction to the push for a name change, a group of locals formed Save Kelseyville to maintain the town’s current name. According to Fletcher, this organization is “very well-funded” and driven by individuals with significant financial interests in Kelseyville.
County Supervisor Moke Simon, who is of Pomo heritage, noted that he backed putting the measure on the ballot partly to gauge the level of racial attitudes within the community, stating it would be a way to see “how racist this community is.”
In 2020, the small town of Fort Bragg made headlines when it announced it would discuss putting a name change on the ballot for residents. That vote ultimately failed.
In June 2022, the California State Parka and Recreation Commission unanimously voted to change the name of Negro Bar Recreation Area on Lake Natoma in Folsom. The popular day-use area is now known as “Black Miners Bar.”
In September 2022, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to change the name of the famous headland along the Northern California coast – Patrick’s Point – to Sue-meg Point.
It seems like name changes will continue to be a hot-button issue in Northern California for the coming years.
