Charles Mound[3] is a gentle, 1,235-foot (376 m) high hill located in Scales Mound Township, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the small town of Scales Mound, and 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Galena. Despite its name, Charles Mound is a naturally occurring, erosional feature and is not to be confused with the intentional mounds created by native cultures. It is the highest natural point in the state and is thus considered a state highpoint. It is the lowest state highpoint in the Midwestern region of the United States.
Charles Mound | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,235 ft (376 m) NAVD 88[1] |
Prominence | 95 ft (29 m)[2] |
Listing | U.S. state high points 45th |
Coordinates | 42°30′14.55931″N 90°14′23.01334″W[1] |
Geography | |
Charles Mound Illinois state highpoint | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Jo Daviess |
Township | Scales Mound |
Topo map | USGS Shullsburg |
Charles Mound is the highest natural point in Illinois. (The highest point is the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.) The top of the hill is about 0.25 miles (400 m) from the Wisconsin border. It is within the Driftless Area, a region of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that was not covered or ground down by the last continental glaciers. The hill itself is an erosional remnant, similar to that on which the original village site of Scales Mound was located. Shallow Elizabeth silt loam soil is on the summit and the surrounding area has deeper silty clay loam of the Lacrescent series.[4]
Elijah Charles, one of the region's first permanent settlers, arrived in 1828 and settled at the base of the mound and the hill assumed his name.[5]
Charles Mound is located on rolling farmland. The land owners, Jean and Wayne Wuebbels, allow public access on the first full weekends of the months of June, July, August, and September.[6]
Highest natural points of U.S. states and additional U.S. areas | ||
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Additional U.S. areas |
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