Harney Peak
| Harney Peak | |
|---|---|
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| Elevation | 7,244 ft (2,208 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 2,922 ft (891 m) [2] |
| Listing | South Dakota's highest point |
| Location | |
 Harney Peak
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| Range | Black Hills |
| Coordinates | 43°51′58″N 103°31′54″W / 43.86611°N 103.53167°WCoordinates: 43°51′58″N 103°31′54″W / 43.86611°N 103.53167°W[1] |
| Topo map | United States Geological Survey Custer |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | July 24, 1875 – Valentine McGillycuddy[3] |
| Easiest route | Trail 9 |
Harney Peak (variant names: Black Elk Peak, Harney's Peak, Mount Harney, Saint Elmo Peak) is the highest natural point in South Dakota. Harney Peak is located within the Black Elk Wilderness area, in southern Pennington County, within Black Hills National Forest. At 7,242 feet (2,207 m),[1] it is also the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and the highest point within the Black Hills.[4]
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[edit] History
The peak was named in the late 1850s by Lieutenant Gouverneur K. Warren in honor of General William S. Harney, who was commander of the military in the Black Hills area in the late 1870s. Board on Geographic Names Decision: Harney Peak (1906)
The first European Americans believed to have reached the summit were a party led by General George Armstrong Custer in 1874, during the Black Hills expedition. Custer, along with five other men rode on horseback much of the way, and Custer forced his mount higher after the others in his party had dismounted, which one of the party, engineer W. H. Wood, later described as "cruel."[5]
Harney Peak is the site of the Sioux Native American Black Elk's "Great Vision" which he received when nine years old and the site to which he returned as an old man, accompanied by writer John Neihardt, who popularized the medicine man in his book Black Elk Speaks. [note 1]
Neihardt recorded Black Elk's words regarding his vision as follows: “I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world,” he is quoted as saying in Neihardt's book. “And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.” [6]
[edit] Hiking
The summit can be reached by following the trails either from Sylvan Lake, Camp Remington, Highway 244, Palmer Creek Rd., Mount Rushmore, or Horse Thief Lake.
From the trailhead at Sylvan Lake (located within Custer State Park) to the summit and back is about 6 miles (9.7 km). This is the shortest, least strenuous, and most popular route. No permit is for use of the first portion of the trail. However, the United States Forest Service requires hikers to obtain a permit at a self-service kiosk located at the entrance to the Black Elk Wilderness area, en route to the summit.
An abandoned fire lookout tower is situated on the summit. A plaque at the base of the tower reads "Valentine McGillycuddy, Wasicu Wacan", marking the grave of Valentine McGillycuddy.
[edit] See also
- Black Hills
- Mountain peaks of North America
- Mountain peaks of the United States
- List of mountains in South Dakota
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Harney". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=OT0810. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "Harney Peak, South Dakota". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6236. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ James R. Macdonald, Ph.D (2009). "Museum of Geology: History". Rapid City, South Dakota: South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. http://museum.sdsmt.edu/home/history/. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "Harney Peak". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1261770. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ Connell, Evan S. (1984). Son Of The Morning Star. San Francisco, California: North Point Press. pp. 237–238. ISBN 0-86547-160-6.
- ^ "Harney Peak". http://www.southdakota.com/harney-peak/371. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
[edit] Notes
- ^ See chapter 3 and the Author's Postscript of Black Elk Speaks, Bison Books, 2004.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Harney Peak |
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View from the top of the Harney Peak fire lookout tower.
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Fire lookout tower at the summit.
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Mountain goats are often seen at the top of Harney Peak. Though not indigenous wildlife to the Black Hills (except mountain sheep), these animals are what is left of the escapees of Custer State Park from a previous introduction from Canada.
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A man-made dam is located at the top of Harney Peak next to the fire lookout tower.
