Bill Submitted To Change Columbus Day to Native American Day

Democratic State Rep. Bridget Smith of Wolf Point submitted a bill request last week to the Montana Legislature that would change Columbus Day to celebrate indigenous people instead of the controversial explorer.  Smith says Columbus has a legacy of cruelty and slavery and that he and his exploratory crew committed atrocities against Native Americans.
Montana would not be the first state to rescind the celebrated status of Christopher Columbus. In 1989, South Dakota established the second Monday in October, federally recognized as Columbus Day, as Native American Day.  Earlier this year, the Bozeman City Commission adopted a similar measure.