Mount Morris 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 (topography), summit area, and ...

located in

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is located in the south-southwest of the village of Tupper Lake in Franklin County, and is "the highest peak immediately east of Tupper Lake." It is named after the town in which it was then located. In 1919, a steel fire lookout tower was built on the summit. The tower ceased fire lookout operations in 1971. Ownership of the tower was later transferred to the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and is closed to the public.

History

Mount Morris was first climbed by

Verplanck Colvin Verplanck Colvin (January 4, 1847 – May 28, 1920) was a lawyer, author, illustrator and topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features t ...

in 1870, and selected as a station for his survey of the Adirondacks. The first signal station for the survey was built in 1882. A new signal station was built in 1896. In July 1909, a fire observation station was built but no tower was needed due to an unobstructed view from the summit. In 1919, a

Aermotor The Aermotor Windmill Company, or Aermotor Company, is an American manufacturer of wind-powered water pumps. The widespread use of their distinctive wind pumps on ranches throughout the arid plains and deserts of the United States has made their d ...

LS40 tower was built on the summit. Due to increased use of aerial detection, the tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1971 season. In the late 1970's, ownership of the tower was transferred to the town of Altamont (now known as Tupper Lake), which uses the cabin for their ski center operations. The tower also has several radio antennas attached to it.

Geology

Colvin described the top of the mountain as "whitish on the surface and light brown within; and appears to be compact crystalline

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...

." The western slopes are

precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

named "Morris Granite."

References

{{Fire lookout towers in New York Mountains of Franklin County, New York Mountains of New York (state)