Topographical Hill is not on
any map. Even Lieutenant A. W. Whipple, who named the hill
in 1854, did not identify it on his map but he did mention it in
his report. Whipple was on a reconnaissance ahead of the
main body of his railroad exploration expedition. He was
looking for the Bill Williams Fork, a river which Lorenzo
Sitgreaves' 1851 map showed as beginning at the southern edge of
Bill Williams Mountain and flowing southwest to the Colorado
River. Whipple was hoping to find an easy grade for the
proposed railroad along this river. His guide, Antoine
Leroux, had also been Sitgreaves' guide 3 years earlier.
Leroux brought Whipple along the western flank of the mountain
to the edge of the "Bill Williams Fork" (actually Hell
Canyon), which flows southwest at that point. Whipple then
needed to find a good viewpoint so he headed west along the edge
of the canyon and camped near some high hills where he could see
the course of the creek. West of this campsite is Whipple's Topographical Hill. He
climbed this hill in the morning and after recording the view to
the west he rode down off of the Colorado Plateau toward Ash
Fork. To his disappointment he
discovered from these hills that the creek he was on did not flow southwest to
the Colorado but turned south to join the Verde River. Here are Whipple's words, beginning on January 2,
1854:
"We followed Leroux in search of the main stream, to a point
which he recognized as being near Capt. Sitgreaves' Camp No.
21. Here we saw the ravine in which the creek flowed
south, and followed a branch about four miles to a point of
hills, where we again encamped. The stream below us flows in a
canyon 150 feet deep. Ascending a hill half a mile south,
we saw an immense and beautiful valley into which the creek
enters from the mouth of the canyon, about four miles
distant."
[January 3]
"...A mile west from our bivouac no. 4, we ascended a ridge
called Topographical Hill, where we had a view still more
extensive than that noted yesterday. We can now trace the
great valley, as well as the western ridge of mountains which
bounds it, far towards the north-northwest."
The location of the hill
has recently been determined by Harley G. Shaw and mentioned in
his as-yet unpublished manuscript "Wood Plenty, Grass Good, Water None" Harley has determined that their
campsite was near Nagiller Tank.
Those who might question the placing of
Whipple's camp near Nagiller Tank and the identification of this
hill as Topographical Hill may want to read my Topographical
Hill Arguments page which states why I believe that Mr. Shaw has
discovered the true location of these points.
