Kennesaw Mountain

Infobox Mountain
Name = Kennesaw Mountain
Photo =
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Elevation = convert|1808|ft|m|0 [ [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7535 Peakbagger.com] ]
Location = Georgia, USA
Range = Appalachian Mountains
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Coordinates = coord|33|58|34|N|84|34|47|W|type:mountain_region:US|display=inline,title [GNIS|333426]
Topographic
USGS Marietta
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Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States. Its summit at convert|1808|ft|m|0 is the highest point in metro Atlanta (followed by Sweat Mountain). The local terrain averages roughly convert|1000|ft|m|0 AMSL.The mountain is actually two summits:
*"Big Kennesaw", where the modern-day parking area and scenic overlook are located
*"Little Kennesaw Mountain", where several light hiking trails and nature areas connect the mountains to the rest of the park

History

Kennesaw Mountain was originally a home to the mound builders in the years 900 to 1700 CE. Their descendants, the Creek people, were pushed out of Georgia by the Cherokee, who were then exiled by the United States and the state of Georgia on the Trail of Tears to the Oklahoma Territory during the Georgia Gold Rush.

In 1832, Cobb County, where Kennesaw Mountain is located, was created.

Kennesaw Mountain was the site of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War, in which the Union forces of General William Tecumseh Sherman launched a bloody frontal attack on the Confederate Army of Tennessee, which was commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first commissioner of Major League Baseball, was named after the battle, in which his father nearly lost his left leg.

The Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park was created on June 26 1935. It was formerly a Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

Other information

In addition to Little Kennesaw, many other landmarks can be seen from the summit, including:

*Stone Mountain
*Blackjack Mountain
*the Allatoona Mountains and the further north Georgia mountains
*midtown and downtown Atlanta
*Buckhead
*Perimeter Center
*the taller buildings of Alpharetta

At the base of the mountain, the park entrance hosts a new interpretive center, museum, and numerous self-guided tour trails that document Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's "March to the Sea" during the Civil War. The road to the top is open weekdays to cars, and on weekends only to park buses, which offer rides every thirty minutes to the top of the mountain, for $2 Adult fare, and free children's fare.

Kennesaw Mountain is also a major stopover location for several species of migrating songbirds. A morning walk up and down the trail during spring or fall can produce stunning views of up to 25 species of warblers, including the rare Cerulean Warbler.

Several small radio antennas, which are atop the mountain near the summit, belong to the U.S. government and the government of Georgia. Originally on four separate wooden telephone poles, they were consolidated to a metal monopole around 2005. The quonset huts which house the transmitters and other telecom equipment are painted solid green or brown to camouflage them. Power lines are buried, and generators supply backup power in the event of a power failure.

A stylized representation of Kennesaw Mountain's distinctive twin peaks is part of the logo for nearby Kennesaw State University.

References

External links

* [http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/2385/ A history page on Kennesaw Mountain]
* [http://www.kennesawmountain.net/ A collection of Kennesaw Mountain memorabilia]
* [http://www.secretfalls.com/hiking/show/275-kennesaw-mountain-trail Hiking Trails at Kennesaw Mountain]