Albert Russell Ellingwood
Encyclopedia
Albert Russell Ellingwood was a pioneering mountaineer
and climber
in the western United States
during the first half of the twentieth century. He made first ascents of many peaks and routes in the Rocky Mountains
, particularly in Colorado
, including Lizard Head
in the San Juan Mountains
, Ellingwood Ridge on La Plata Peak
in the Sawatch Range
, and Crestone Needle
in the Sangre de Cristo Range
. Many mountain features are named for him, on peaks such as Middle Teton
, on which Ellingwood made the first ascent, the Ellingwood Ridge of La Plata Peak
, and the Ellingwood Arete
ascent of Crestone Needle
; the fourteener
Ellingwood Point
, near Blanca Peak
in southern Colorado, is named for him as well.
The brave pioneer of previously unattempted climbs died prematurely at the age of 46. At that time he was assistant dean at Northwestern University
. Ellingwood was a Rhodes Scholar and was a professor of political science
at Colorado College
.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
and climber
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the first half of the twentieth century. He made first ascents of many peaks and routes in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, particularly in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, including Lizard Head
Lizard Head
Lizard Head is a mountain in Colorado, one of the 637 peaks above 13,000 feet in elevation in the state...
in the San Juan Mountains
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
, Ellingwood Ridge on La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak is over fourteen thousand feet in elevation and the fifth highest mountain in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Sawatch Range in northwestern Chaffee County, approximately southwest of Leadville, Colorado, just south of Twin Lakes and State Highway 82 on the east side...
in the Sawatch Range
Sawatch Range
The Sawatch Range is a mountain range in central Colorado which includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Elbert, at elevation, the highest peak in the Rockies....
, and Crestone Needle
Crestone Needle
Crestone Needle is one of the fourteeners of Colorado, in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It is part of a group of four fourteeners known as "the Crestones", headed by Crestone Peak and also including Kit Carson Mountain and Humboldt Peak.While not as high as Crestone Peak, and connected...
in the Sangre de Cristo Range
Sangre de Cristo Range
The Sangre de Cristo Range, called the East Range locally in the San Luis Valley, is a narrow mountain range of the Rocky Mountains running north and south along the east side of the Rio Grande Rift in southern Colorado in the United States...
. Many mountain features are named for him, on peaks such as Middle Teton
Middle Teton
Middle Teton is the third highest peak in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The peak is immediately southwest of Grand Teton and the two are separated from one another by the lower saddle, a broad high ridge at . The Middle Teton Glacier is located on the eastern slopes of the...
, on which Ellingwood made the first ascent, the Ellingwood Ridge of La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak is over fourteen thousand feet in elevation and the fifth highest mountain in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Sawatch Range in northwestern Chaffee County, approximately southwest of Leadville, Colorado, just south of Twin Lakes and State Highway 82 on the east side...
, and the Ellingwood Arete
Ellingwood Ledges (Crestone Needle)
The Ellingwood Ledges is a popular technical climbing route on Crestone Needle in Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Range. The Ellingwood Ledges Route is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America...
ascent of Crestone Needle
Crestone Needle
Crestone Needle is one of the fourteeners of Colorado, in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It is part of a group of four fourteeners known as "the Crestones", headed by Crestone Peak and also including Kit Carson Mountain and Humboldt Peak.While not as high as Crestone Peak, and connected...
; the fourteener
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
Ellingwood Point
Ellingwood Point
Ellingwood Point, or Ellingwood Peak, is a fourteener in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located at the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo Range, approximately 1/2 mile northwest of Blanca Peak. It lies on the border between Alamosa County and Huerfano County...
, near Blanca Peak
Blanca Peak
Blanca Peak is the highest peak of the Sierra Blanca Massif at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. It is the fourth highest peak of the Rocky Mountains, and the eighth highest peak in the contiguous United States....
in southern Colorado, is named for him as well.
The brave pioneer of previously unattempted climbs died prematurely at the age of 46. At that time he was assistant dean at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. Ellingwood was a Rhodes Scholar and was a professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
.