Rib Mountain
Encyclopedia
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
monadnock
Monadnock
A monadnock or inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain...
in central Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, located in the Town of Rib Mountain in Marathon County
Marathon County, Wisconsin
Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, WI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 134,063. Its county seat is Wausau.-Geography:...
. Composed of quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
covered with a softer syenite
Syenite
Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite but with the quartz either absent or present in relatively small amounts Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite but with the quartz either absent or...
sheath, it was intruded about 1.5 billion years ago.
Rib Mountain is near Wausau
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
on the west side of the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
, just west of Interstate 39 and just south of Highway 29
Highway 29 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 29 is a state highway running east–west across central Wisconsin. It is a major east–west corridor connecting the Twin Cities and the Chippewa Valley with Wausau and Green Bay. A multi-year project to upgrade the corridor to a four-lane freeway/expressway from Elk Mound to...
.
Although Rib Mountain is not the highest point in Wisconsin
Timms Hill
Timms Hill is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in north-central Wisconsin in Timms Hill County Park in the Town of Hill in Price County, Timms Hill has an elevation of ....
and not technically even a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, it is almost 4 miles (6.4 km) long and peaks at 1924 feet (586.4 m) above sea level and 760 feet (231.6 m) above the local terrain, the highest difference of height from peak to surrounding terrain in the state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. The Rib River and little Rib River are nearby.
Rib Mountain is home to the Rib Mountain State Park
Rib Mountain State Park
Rib Mountain State Park is a Wisconsin state park near the city of Wausau. The park includes a ski resort concession, Granite Peak Ski Area, a reservable amphitheather, and 15.1 miles of trails. The park is ten miles north-northwest of Central Wisconsin Airport.-External links:* official website*...
and the Granite Peak Ski Area
Granite Peak Ski Area
Granite Peak Ski Resort is located just south of Wausau, Wisconsin, United States, features 74 snow runs and 6 terrain parks as of 2011 and boasts 700 vertical feet...
(formerly Rib Mountain Ski Area). The peak is also the site of many of the transmitters for radio and TV stations in the Wausau area, and is the namesake for Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension...
's WHRM-TV (Channel 20) and WHRM-FM (90.9), Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Public Radio is a network of 32 radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the Ideas Network and the NPR News and Classical Network, as well as the "HD2 Classical Service," a digital-only, full-time classical music service.-Ideas...
's News & Classical Network station for the area.
Local legend states that the 'ribs' in Rib Mountain come from the fact that it is the burial site of Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
. Furthermore, nearby Mosinee Hill is said to be the grave of Babe the Blue Ox.
When the ski area opened on the slopes of Rib Mountain 1937, it was one of the first ski areas in North America. Stowe in Vermont had opened a few years earlier in 1934. Sun Valley in Idaho had become the nation's first ski area in the western states in 1936.