Driskill Mountain (also referred to as Mount Driskill) is the highest natural summit in
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
with an elevation of 535 feet (163 meters) above sea level. It lies about 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of
Bryceland, LouisianaBryceland is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 114 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bryceland is located at ....
. It is located in the northeast corner of Sec. 32, T. 17 N., R. 5 W. at 32° 25′ 29.32″ N 92° 53′ 47.90″ W (WGS84) within
Bienville ParishBienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
. Although the word mountain is in its name, Driskill Mountain is actually a tall hill.
Driskill Mountain (also referred to as Mount Driskill) is the highest natural summit in
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
with an elevation of 535 feet (163 meters) above sea level. It lies about 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of
Bryceland, LouisianaBryceland is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 114 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bryceland is located at ....
. It is located in the northeast corner of Sec. 32, T. 17 N., R. 5 W. at 32° 25′ 29.32″ N 92° 53′ 47.90″ W (WGS84) within
Bienville ParishBienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
. Although the word mountain is in its name, Driskill Mountain is actually a tall hill. Its elevation is below the level considered to be a mountain.
Driskill Mountain is a landform created by the erosion of unlithified
PaleogeneThe Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic era...
sedimentSediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow, and which eventually is deposited.Sediments are most often transported by water transported by wind and glaciers...
. Its summit consists of nonmarine quartz sands of the Cockfield Formation. These sands overlie shallow marine and coastal clays, silts, and sands of the Cook Mountain Formation, which form the bulk of Driskill Mountain.
James Christopher Driskill, the person for whom Driskill Mountain was named, was born in
Hancock CountyHancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 17, 1793. As of 2000, the population was 10,076. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 9,568 . The county seat is Sparta, Georgia.-Geography:...
, Georgia, on June 27, 1817. In 1840, he married the former Eugenia Irwin Walker. In October 1859, Driskill sold his land in
Troup CountyTroup County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 58,779. The 2007 census estimate showed a population of 63,535 . The county seat is LaGrange.-History:...
, Georgia, and moved his family, which by then consisted of his wife, eight boys, and one girl to Louisiana. By December 1859, Driskill had purchased in Louisiana 324 acres, which included Driskill Mountain. During the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, Driskill served in the Home Guard. His eldest son, William B. Driskill, was killed in action at the
Battle of the WildernessThe Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
in Virginia on May 5, 1864. Another one of his sons, James B. Driskill, disappeared after he had left Louisiana to fight in the Civil War. Except for one son and daughter, Driskill's family remained in Bienville Parish, and his descendents still live in the area.
One may walk the trail to the top and sign the logbook located in an army box. A large pile of rocks marks the high point.
External links