FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-143 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 18, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we climb up a high U.S. mountain story.  

HIGHEST IN THE LOWER 48

Mount Whitney is the highest elevation in the contiguous United States.  It is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in east central California.  It is ironically close – just less than 85 miles – from the US’ lowest point in Death Valley.

Today is the 150th anniversary of the first successful recorded climb of the mountain – August 18, 1873.  The trio who completed this feat did so while on a fishing expedition and named the summit point Fisherman’s Peak.

The summit is the southern end of the John Muir Trail which begins in Yosemite Valley.  The mountain got its name in 1864 when the California Geological Society honored the state’s geologist and leader of the survey of the area, Josiah Whitney, by giving his name to it.

Today trails lead to the summit from both the eastern and western slopes.  The eastern ascent is the most popular and remains in the Inyo National Forest.  The western approach begins in the Sequoia National Park and travels through the Sierra Nevada range.  Only 100 hikers a day get permits, so plan in advance!

Colton’s 1855 map of the then relatively new state of California is presented here, with the inset of the then most important city in the state, San Francisco.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.