ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A group of local advocates is pushing to change the name of the upcoming High Falls State Park before it opens.
The park, set to become the first state park in the City of Rochester, is being built near the Pont de Rennes Bridge. Trish Corcoran, co-chair of the Indigenous People’s Day Committee and a member of the Seneca Nation, is leading the effort to rename the park Ga’sgöhsagöh State Park – pronounced “ga-SGO-sa-go.”
“We’re not trying to change the name of the City of Rochester. But I think that it would be a terrific name for this, for this area, for this state park,” Corcoran said.
Indigenous origins
Corcoran says the name reflects the origins of the area.
“[Ga’sgöhsagöh is] the original name. This was our original territory since time immemorial and, unceded, taken by New York State,” she said.
“What it means is the place of the falls, or place of three falls. So it’s very descriptive. And we would be the only Ga’sgöhsagöh not only in New York State, but in Turtle Island – the United States. Whereas there’s already, I don’t know, 12 or 14 places named High Falls in New York State alone,” Corcoran said.
There is also a High Falls State Park in Georgia.
State response
The New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation gave the following response to News10NBC’s inquiry:
“The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will certainly explore how Gaʼsgöhsagöh could be included in the park. Throughout the public planning process, many participants advocated for the new park to honor aspects of the city’s rich and diverse cultural history. Thanks to this public input, a central feature of the park plan is a Heritage Trail that will traverse the park and interpret the many stories and cultures that shaped this historic site, including the indigenous people of the Haudenosaunee nations.”
It also pointed to the state’s Ganondagon State Historic Site in Victor, which teaches guests about Seneca art, culture, and life.
The Seneca Nation is a part of the Haudenosaunee nations.
Hope for the future
Corcoran said she is optimistic about the possibility of a name change.
“I’m very hopeful because there isn’t any signage yet. There’s no signage. So it’s not like there’s an expense that’s already put in that has to be redone or anything,” Corcoran said.
Others in the area also support the idea. “It sounds like a good idea to me. Might as well give it back the original name that it had,” said Kelsey Cushman, who works near the future state park.
Corcoran said she believes the name Ga’sgöhsagöh could catch on.
“I don’t think people are going to forget it. And even though people may stumble over it the first 1 or 2 times they say it, it’s really not that hard to say. I mean, Skaneateles is a lot more challenging for people to read and say, and everybody knows what Skaneateles is, and there’s a lot of indigenous names around here, but I think we could certainly use one more,” Corcoran said.
New York State expects the park to open in 2032. A petition to change the name is available online here.
Petition seeks Indigenous name for Rochester’s future High Falls State Park before it opens in 2032 WHEC.com.
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