This is a list of hillside letters (also known as mountain monograms), large geoglyphs found primarily in the Western United States.[1][2][3] There are about 600 in total, but the status of many of these symbols are uncertain, due to vagueness in sources.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Mountainmonograms.jpg/300px-Mountainmonograms.jpg)
The states with the most hillside letters are:
- Montana: 86 monograms
- California: 83 monograms
- Utah: 83 monograms
- Arizona: 63 monograms
- Nevada: 47 monograms
- Oregon: 39 monograms
- Idaho: 36 monograms
Vereinigte Staaten
editArizona
editCalifornia
editColorado
editAt least 31 monograms, possibly 33.
-
Western Colorado University's W Mountain
-
South Table Mountain Golden, Colorado
-
Salida Downtown Historic District in Salida, Colorado
-
Mount Zion Mountain west of Golden, Colorado
Idaho
editMaryland
editMonogram | Town | Description | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|
MVGC (no longer exists) | Montgomery Village | Initialism of "Montgomery Village Golf Club"[4] | 39°10′54″N 77°11′58″W / 39.1817904°N 77.1995232°W |
Montana
editNevada
editNew Mexico
editAt least 30 monograms, possibly 37
Oregon
editTexas
editTexas' 16 or more monograms are all in the westernmost mountainous, part of the state. There are six (in various states of repair) in El Paso alone, the most in any single city in the United States.
Utah
editWashington
editMost of Washington's 18 to 19 monograms are in the arid Eastern part of the state.
Wyoming
editBetween 24 and 25 monograms
Other states
editMore countries
editMessages are common on the bare mountains surrounding Lima, Peru; most of them are personal graffiti, not community symbols.
See also
edit- Gozan no Okuribi, Japanese festival involving giant hillside bonfires in the shape of characters
Notes
edit- ^ Corning, Evelyn (2007). Hillside Letters A to Z : A Guide to Hometown Landmarks. Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press Publishing Company.
- ^ Rocha, Guy (June 2004), "Hillside Letters: In Plain Sight But Not Intended for Planes", Sierra Sage, archived from the original on 2011-07-22, retrieved 2011-08-09
- ^ Parsons, James J. (1988). "Hillside Letters in the Western United States". Landscape. 30 (1). Santa Fe, N.M.: 15–23. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
- ^ "Google Maps".
- ^ a b Price, Mark J. (2022-08-08). "Will Central Interchange project spoil view of Hoban letters?". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
External links
edit- Mountain Monograms, a website explaining the origins and with an incomplete list and pictures
- Hillside Letters, a companion website to a book on the subject
- Letters on Hills, a category on waymarking.com for geocachers