Rib Mountain
Rib Mountain | |
---|---|
![]() Rib Mountain, as seen from downtownWausau | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,924 ft (586 m)[1] |
Prominence | 624 ft (190 m)[1] |
Coordinates | 44°55′15″N89°41′43″W/ 44.920796725°N 89.695204669°W |
Geography | |
Location | Marathon County,Wisconsin,U.S. |
Topo map | USGSWausau West |
Geology | |
Age of rock | 1.5B years |
Mountain type | monadnock |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Gfp-rocks-near-the-queens-chair.jpg/220px-Gfp-rocks-near-the-queens-chair.jpg)
Rib Mountain,also known asRib Hill,is aglacially-erodedmonadnockin centralWisconsin,located in theTown of Rib MountaininMarathon County.Composed ofquartzitecovered with a softersyenitesheath, it was intruded about 1.5 billion years ago.
Rib Mountain is nearWausauon the west side of theWisconsin River,just west ofInterstate 39and just south ofHighway 29.[2]The nearby Wausau Downtown Airport at an elevation of 1,201 ft (366 m), is located just 3 mi (4.8 km) to the east.
Rib Mountain is almost 4 miles (6.4 km) long and peaks at 1,924 feet (586 m) above sea level and 624 feet (190 m) above the local terrain. The Rib River and Little Rib River are nearby.
Rib Mountain is home to theRib Mountain State Parkand theGranite Peak Ski Area.The peak is also the site of transmitters for radio and TV stations in the Wausau area, and is the namesake forWisconsin Public Television'sWHRM-TV(Channel 20) andWHRM-FM(90.9),Wisconsin Public Radio's news and classical network station for the area.
It also makes room for the transmitter at the top forWDEZ.
Local legend states that the "ribs" in Rib Mountain denote that it is the burial site ofPaul Bunyan.The nearby Mosinee Hill is said to be the grave ofBabe the Blue Ox.
When the ski area opened on the slopes of Rib Mountain in 1937, it was one of the first ski areas in North America.[citation needed]Stowe Mountain Resortin Vermont had opened a few years earlier in 1934.Sun Valleyin Idaho had become the nation's first ski area in the western states in 1936.
References
[edit]- ^ab"Rib Mountain, Wisconsin".Peakbagger.com.Retrieved2024-06-17.
- ^"Rib Mountain".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-12.Retrieved2007-10-25.