Mummy Mountain (Arizona)

Mummy Mountain

Mummy Mountain
Elevation 2,021 ft (616 m)
Location
Location Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
Topo map USGS Paradise Valley

Mummy Mountain is a mountain situated in Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States. The mountain is located at latitude 33°32'32.94"N longitude 111°57'40.92"W and rises to an elevation of 2,021 feet (616.00 m) above sea level.[1] The formation is predominantly Precambrian granite with outcroppings of quartz and schorl[2].

The slopes of the mountain incorporate suburban residential development while the upper summit areas are conservations sites.[3] As the only part of the Phoenix Mountains not held within the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, portions of Mummy Mountain are protected by the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust and the town of Paradise Valley.[4]

Name

The formation originally was known as Windy Gulch and Horseshoe Mountain but was later renamed by miner and businessman Charles Mieg. Mieg, who purchased most of the property in the 1940s for $12000. He observed that the mountain's profile resembled an Egyptian mummy lying down. When he began selling parcels for development, Mieg marketed the land using the name Mummy Mountain.[5]

Conservation

The Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust is a 501 (c)(3) charitable trust established in 1997 to preserve the natural landscape of approximately 320 acres (1.3 km2) along the mountain ridge. Local celebrities including Marshall Trimble, Joe Garagiola, Clive Cussler and Bil Keane supported a campaign asking property owners for donations of land. Through private donations and transfer of public land from Maricopa County, 218 acres (0.88 km2) were controlled by the trust by August 1999.[6]

References

  1. ^ Mummy Mountain Summit, Arizona Mountain Peak Information, mountainzone.com, retrieved 04-04-2009
  2. ^ Sharon Panczner, Gems and Minerals of Arizona, Primer Publishers, 1988 ISBN 1558380973
  3. ^ Parcel Map, Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust, Town of Paradise Valley, 2009
  4. ^ Summary of Trust, Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust, Town of Paradise Valley, 2009
  5. ^ History of Mummy Mountain, Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust, Town of Paradise Valley, 2009
  6. ^ "The Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust", Town Reporter, Town of Paradise Valley, Vol. 30 Issue 1, August 1999