[pct-l] Mt. Whitney and the white mountains

[StoneDancer1 at aol.com (StoneDancer1@aol.com)]

In a message dated 2/18/2004 4:09:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
judsonb@internetcds.com writes:
.................................................
>>>>>Anybody out there know the story. (since this involves Whitney, perhaps 
it's
not totally off topic??)<<<<<



William Brewer in his journals (Up and Down California in 1860-1864)  writes 
about the naming of Whitney.  He did most of the surveying as Whitney was 
almost always running around Sacramento trying to get money (that they were 
promised)...mostly to no avail.  The mountain was named in July 1864 by Clarence 
King and Richard Cotter, of the Whitney Survey.  They saw it from the summit of 
Mt. Tyndal, a few miles to the north.  They named it in honor of Whitney and 
against his wishes.  King came back in 1871 and climbed what he thought was 
Whitney, but turned out to be Langley, a few miles to the south.  Whitney was 
finally climbed in 1873 by some local Lone Pine residents.  They called 
Fisherman's Peak, since they were coming back from a fishing trip. There was 
considerable friction between the locals and the Survey....the Survey winning out in the 
end.  White Mountain is a beautiful place... go there.  The University of 
California's White Mountain Research Station is just below the summit. You can 
drive to above 11000 ft.  But...White Mountain was not blown up...or down.  It is 
not as high as Whitney... legends not withstanding.