Talk:Taum Sauk Mountain

Elevation

I reverted a change to the elevation that was based on the Encyclopaedia Britannica, though no citation was given. The E.B. is not known to be without error, but I'd be interested in what their source is. Until better data is cited, I'll take the USGS number of 1772 as shown on the 7.5-minute topographical map as well as referenced in this educational article. (I tried putting both these references into my edit summary with TinyURL, but the second one got truncated into an even tinier url that leads off into the wild blue.) Curiously, a Topozone.com search results page lists yet a third value that differs from both the 1772 figure and the 1769 attributed to E.B. --Kbh3^rdtalk 22:47, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

I added an inline reference to the USGS booklet Elevations and Distances in the United States, which seems like a reasonable source to cite. --Kbh3^rdtalk 23:02, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

I see the Missouri Association of Registered Surveyors agrees with 1772. A bit of OR that would be inappropriate in the article without verification: I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that the plaque in the picture is made from Missouri Red granite quarried nearby. --Kbh3^rdtalk 06:07, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

Curious

I ponder within my plain plain-located shanty if the mountain's elevation would allow refuge from the immense tsunamis sure to arrive after an asteroid, meteor, whatever strike upon Earth, specifically if impacting an ocean.

As long as the atmosphere remains and the planet not torn to pieces would there be suitable shelter from tsunamis encroaching upon the land?

If sufficient warning was given driving north then west to seek refuge in the higher-altitude Rocky Mountains would be best but if some form of "nuclear winter" arrived the Rockies may not be a good place to hunker down.

Perhaps to escape inundation seek solace within the heights then head for lower elevations and seek a warm place.

Of course, the rampaging human herd may pose the greatest danger to survival.

Good luck to all of ye.

An eventual strike upon the planet is assured at some future point in time. Obbop (talk) 13:27, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Prominence

I cited a prominence of 522 feet (159 m) for Taum Sauk and 693 feet (211 m) for Mudlick Mountain, citing PeakBagger.com.[1][2] I've seen Mudlick given as the most prominent other places, too, so I believe the comparison. (Could also offer some OR from having hiked up both.) However, the values given by PeakBagger.com seem low. The MDC gives Mudlick a prominence of over 880 feet (270 m)[3], and I know my GPS said I hiked up somewhere around 700 feet (210 m) from below Mina Sauk Falls to the top of Taum Sauk. PeakBagger, by the way, has a glossary with definitions of "clean" and "optimistic" prominence,[4] which are also discussed in the 'pedia article.

Note that a careful reading of topographical prominence shows that it's not necessarily the same thing as height from base. Prominence is what mountain climbers seem to be interested in, though, and I've not seen references for base-to-top heights. From quick glance at a topo map for Black Mountain in Madison County (37.4691°N 90.4950°W / 37.4691; -90.4950), I'd sure believe it's in the running. Need a citation, though, and we could add that to the article. --Kbh3^rdtalk 21:22, 11 October 2012 (UTC)

Pronunciation

The pronunciation /ˈtɔːm ˈsɔːk/ is tagged with "citation needed". I believe the source given for the supposed origin of the name, in the one-sentence third paragraph, provides enough evidence:

Taum Sauk is said to be named for a Piankeshaw chief named Sauk-Ton-Qua.

The source text in the cited work is

"Long before the white man came here," Uncle Jim relates, "this land of flowers, now called the Arcadia Valley, was the hunting grounds of the Piankashaw Indians.  The Piankashaws had a famous chieftain, Sauk-Ton-Qua.  Because the name was hard for the white man to pronounce, he was later called Taum Sauk."

The speaker here is

Uncle Jim, an ex-railroad worker, who for many years ran a service station and tourist court from his home near Ironton, knew a host of stories and Indian legends tied up with the mountain.  

Since the normal English pronunciation of ⟨au⟩ in a stressed syllable, and certainly in a monosyllable in a name, is /ɔː/, the spelling of the name that white settlers used for chief Sauk-Ton-Qua is evidence enough, and I will remove the "citation needed" tag. --Thnidu (talk) 02:58, 12 December 2017 (UTC)

References