Information About

Mount Saint Elias

Quick Facts

Open in The Map Mount Saint Elias on The Map

Location

60 ° 17' 37.514" N,
140 ° 55' 44.314" W

Region

Yakutat

Nearest City

Yakutat

Elevation

17949 ft (5470.86 m)

Mount Saint Elias in Detail.

About

On the Alaska-Canada boundary, 3 mi NE of Haydon Peak, 67 mi. NW of Yakutat, St. Elias Mountains.

History

The sighting of Mount Saint Elias on July 16, 1741 (Old Style (O.S.) calendar) by Vitus Bering, Imperial Russian Navy (IRN), the Saint Peter, represents the "official" discovery of northwestern America by the Russians. Although many authorities give Bering credit for naming the mountain, it appears more likely that the name was borrowed from Cape Saint Elias by eighteenth century mapmakers and applied to the "high volcano" left unnamed by its discoverer. The first ascent of the mountain was made July 31, 1897 by His Royal Highness, Prince Luigi Amedeo de Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi and his party. See Farquhar (1959, p. 229, 230). According to H. W. Topham, in 1888, its Tlingit Indian name was "Yahtse-tah-shah."

Mount Saint Elias Gallery

Pictures of, from, or near Mount Saint Elias.