Wyoming Residents at Odds Over Decision to Rename ‘Swastika Lake’

More than a year after Wyoming’s “Swastika Lake” was renamed to “Knight Lake,” debate continues to divide the local community.

The name change, made official in January 2024, was driven by concerns over the swastika symbol’s strong association with Nazi Germany. However, some residents told Cowboy State Daily they felt the name should have remained, noting the symbol’s much older origins and cultural significance in parts of Asia.

“I think the lake’s name should have never been changed,” said Albany County Commission Chairwoman Terri Jones, who voted against the renaming. “I think there should be a sign up there, telling what the word ‘swastika’ actually means.” She added that removing the name was a missed opportunity for education about the symbol’s deeper meaning.

Historically, the swastika has been used as a symbol of peace and prosperity across several Asian cultures, including within Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism, according to the Association for Asian Studies.

But others, like Kim Viner of the Albany County Historical Society, supported the name change, citing the symbol’s transformation into a hate emblem during World War II. He noted that even Native American tribes who once used the swastika eventually abandoned it after the war.

“We [the historical society] wanted it named for a prominent Albany County person,” Viner told Cowboy State Daily. The commission ultimately chose to rename the lake in honor of Samuel Howell Knight, a geologist and paleontologist from the University of Wyoming.

Viner also pointed out that the origins of the name “Swastika Lake” remain unknown.

Amber Travsky, another local resident, recalled being confused when she first heard the name of the lake, which lies within the Medicine Bow National Forest. “I thought, ‘Why would somebody name a lake that?’” she said. “I figured maybe the lake is in the shape of a swastika. But I got there and saw that it’s not shaped like that at all.”