Mount Lukens is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
peak of the
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...
, in
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...
.
It is the highest point in the city of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Geography
It is in the
Sunland-Tujunga community within the northeast corner of the city of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, above the
Crescenta Valley. The summit, at in elevation, is the highest point within the city limits. The summit's elevation makes Los Angeles the city with the largest difference between high and low points among the 50 most populous cities in the US.
Because of its location, prominence, and proximity to Los Angeles, the summit is dotted with television, radio, and cellular transmission towers.
The mountain is also within the boundaries of the
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in Southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabri ...
and
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
.
Name origin
The mountain was named after
Theodore Lukens, a former supervisor of the Angeles National Forest and later, the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
.
Previously, the mountain was known as Sister Elsie Peak. It has been said that she was a
Catholic nun who died while caring for the sick during a
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
epidemic
An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...
. On the USFS map of 1925, the mountain was shown as Mount Lukens and subtitled Sister Elsie Peak. The identity of Sister Elsie (also referred to as Sister Else) is not certain and the stories surrounding her have not been verified.
2009 Station Fire
Mount Lukens is in an area that was affected by the
2009 Station Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Radio communication facilities
Mount Lukens is a radio site with buildings owned by American Tower, Crown Castle,
Mobile Relay Associates, among others.
This site provides excellent coverage of Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Orange County and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino areas. It houses both broadcast and two-way communications facilities on virtually every frequency band, including FM broadcast, VHF low- and high-band, UHF, 800/900 MHz, and microwave.
See also
*
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
*
References
Lukens
Lukens
Angeles National Forest
Geography of Los Angeles
Geography of the San Fernando Valley
Crescenta Valley
Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles
Lukens
{{LosAngelesCountyCA-geo-stub