THE EXPLORATION AND FIRST ASCENT OF MOUNT WHITNEY, CALIFORNIA Available to Purchase

Mount Whitney, California, rises 14,505 feet in the Sierra Nevada of California. At the time of its discovery by members of the California Geological Survey in 1864, Mount Whitney was the highest peak in what then comprised the United States and remains the highest peak in the country south of Alaska. This paper examines early attempts to explore the mountain, measure its altitude and accurately plot its location