Ed note: Should it be Rainier, Tacoma or perhaps Tahoma? Actually there is a peak just off Mt. Rainier called Little Tahoma, the third highest peak in Washington State. A long time ago I was able to look down on this peak as I attempted (note attempted) to summit Mt.Rainier. I still like Rainier to be referred to as “The Mountain.”
From Crosscut by Knute Berger: “Starting from the days of frontier settlement, the towns and cities surrounding Puget Sound have been engaged in competition, vying to be the most important commercial center: Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, Bellingham, even Port Townsend.
But the greatest rivalry belongs to Seattle and Tacoma — a centurieslong competition that has played itself out in many an arena. It has even touched the region’s most conspicuous geographic landmark, Mount Rainier. Or should it be Mount Tacoma?
You might have heard that some people believe that Mount Rainier is not an appropriate name for our great mountain. It was named in 1792 by the British explorer George Vancouver, the first known European to explore what we now call Puget Sound.
He named the mountain for his friend, Peter Rainier, a captain and later admiral in the Royal Navy. Among other accomplishments, he did the British Empire much service in expanding its influence in the East Indies. He also was on the British side during the American Revolution and thus an enemy of the United States.
The name stuck, like other features named by Vancouver, including Mount Baker, Mount St. Helens and Puget Sound.