A stretch of highway running through the center of the Blackfeet Nation has been renamed to honor the late Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person. A dedication ceremony was held on Thursday.
A group of more than 200 people gathered alongside the section of U.S. Highway 89 that now bears Chief Old Person’s name.
As the new road sign was unveiled, drummers played one of the chief’s favorite songs, used to celebrate a victory.
Several dozen friends and family of Old Person got up to share their favorite memories of the beloved Blackfeet leader, along with members of Congress.
State Sen. Susan Webber carried the bill to rename this stretch of road.
“And it feels really good, it’s done, we did our best towards our chief, his name will always be here, it’ll always be on the map,” Webber said.
Old Person led the tribe for 40 years before he died in 2021.
The renaming ceremony is part of the first day of the Blackfeet Nation’s North American Indian Days, an annual celebration which will run through the weekend.
