The Ascent of the North Palisades, 3 



side of the crest, in the Owen's Valley, that vast streams 

 of lava had flowed down the slopes of the Sierra, just 

 below the Palisades." * 



About 1875, the members of the surveying parties 

 under Captain Geo. M. Wheeler, recognized the great 

 height of this part of the range, and determined the alti- 

 tude and position of two of its high points by traingula- 

 tion from the " Virginia Base," calling them the N. W. 

 and S. E. Palisades. f These correspond to what are com- 

 monly known as the North Palisade and Split Mountain, 

 and their heights as given by him are 14,275 and 14,200 

 feet. 



In 1877 Mr. Frank Dusy, mountaineer, and pioneer 

 of the Middle Fork Sierra, worked his way to the base 

 of the Palisades, and explored the head of the river. In 

 1879 Mr. Lil A. Winchell, of Pine Ridge, visited the 

 Palisade region, and named the highest point Dusy Peak, 

 the next point north Mt. Winchell, after Professor 

 Alexander Winchell, the geologist, and the most north- 

 erly of the group Agassiz Needle. 



In 1895 Professor Bolton Coit Brown obtained his 

 first glimpse of the Palisades from the summit of Wood- 

 worth Mountain, eight miles to the southwest, and called 

 the highest pinnacle of the northern mass Mt. Jordan.^ 

 In 1896 I took the liberty of naming the second highest 

 point Mt. Sill. 



Until further particulars of the naming of the highest 

 point can be obtained, I shall refer to it as the North 



* Geological Survey of California. J. D. Whitney, State Geologist. Vol. I. 

 Geology, p. 393. 



t Geographical Surveys West of the looth Meridian. Capt. George M. 

 Wheeler, in charge. Table of Geographical Positions, etc., p. 19. 

 X Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. I., p. 296. 



