Mount Corcoran is a mountain summit located on the crest of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
mountain range in
California.
It is situated on the boundary between
Tulare County and
Inyo County, as well as the boundary between
Sequoia National Park and
John Muir Wilderness. It is west-southwest of the community of
Lone Pine, southeast of
Mount Whitney
Mount Whitney (Paiute: Tumanguya; ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'') is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of . It is in East–Central California, on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tu ...
, northwest of
Mount Langley, and immediately south of
Mount Le Conte, the nearest higher neighbor.
Topographic relief is significant as it rises approximately above Iridescent Lake in one-half mile.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification system, Mount Corcoran has an
alpine climate.
Most
weather fronts originate in the
Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (
orographic lift). Precipitation
runoff from this mountain drains west to the
Kern River via Rock Creek, and east to
Owens Valley via Tuttle Creek.
History
The mountain known today as Mount Langley was named Mount Corcoran in 1868 by artistic painter
Albert Bierstadt in honor of
William Wilson Corcoran
William Wilson Corcoran (December 27, 1798 – February 24, 1888) was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector. He founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Early life
Corcoran was born on December 27, 1798, in Georgetown in the ...
(1839–1923), an
American banker,
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, and
art collector.
1891 and 1933 decision descriptions by the
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
placed the Corcoran name at what is now known as Mount Langley. A 1968 board decision officially applied the Mount Corcoran name to the highest and northernmost of four pinnacles on the ridge immediately south of
Mount Le Conte and north of Mt. Langley.
The
first ascent of the summit was made in 1933 by Howard S. Gates.
Gallery
File:Langley, Corcoran, LeConte, Lone Pine.jpg, Left to rightː Mt. Langley, Mt. Corcoran (centered), Mt. LeConte, Lone Pine Peak.
File:Albert Bierstadt - Mount Corcoran.jpg, Albert Bierstadt's painting, "''Mount Corcoran''", circa 1876–1877, is a composite of locations that he visited in the Sierras.
File:Corcoran and LeConte.jpg, Corcoran (centered), and Le Conte
File:Corcoran from Langley.jpg, Mts. Corcoran / Le Conte centered, seen from Mt. Langley.
(Mount Whitney upper left).
File:Mount Corcoran, Far South Peak.jpg, Corcoran's southernmost peak
File:Corcoran from Lone Pine Peak.jpg, Mount Langley (left), Mount Corcoran, and Mt. LeConte (right) seen from Lone Pine Peak area.
See also
*
*
List of mountain peaks of California
References
External links
* Weather forecast
Mount Corcoran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corcoran, Mount
Mountains of Tulare County, California
Mountains of Sequoia National Park
Inyo National Forest
Mountains of Inyo County, California
Mountains of the John Muir Wilderness
North American 4000 m summits
Mountains of Northern California
Sierra Nevada (United States)