The U.S. Board of Geographic Names recently approved the name change of Chaenn Hill near Tenino.
The name change for Chaenn Hill, previously named Chain Hill, was due to the work of local historian Richard Edwards, who discovered evidence the hill’s original name had been “Chaenn” rather than “Chain.”
The name change was the result of a months-long process under which the proposed name change went before multiple government boards for approval.
On April 26, the Washington state Committee on Geographic Names considered the name change, voting to send it before the Washington state Board of Natural Resources (WSBNR) for consideration.
The WSBNR approved the name change on July 5, sending the proposal to the federal government. On July 14, the United States Board of Geographic Names approved the name change, officially adding the new spelling to the Geographic Names Information System, the federal government’s official geographic names repository.
