Mummy Mountain (Arizona)

Mummy Mountain
Mummy Mountain
Elevation	2,260 ft (690 m)[1]
Location
Mummy Mountain Location in Arizona
Location	Maricopa County, Arizona, U.S.
Coordinates	33°32′37″N 111°57′38″W / 33.5436537°N 111.9604237°W / 33.5436537; -111.9604237Coordinates: 33°32′37″N 111°57′38″W / 33.5436537°N 111.9604237°W / 33.5436537; -111.9604237[2]
Topo map	USGS Paradise Valley

Mummy Mountain is a mountain situated in Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States. The formation is predominantly Precambrian granite with outcroppings of quartz and schorl.^[3]

The slopes of the mountain incorporate suburban residential development while the upper summit areas are conservation sites.^[4] 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.^[5]

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