Do You Know Story Of Gunsight Mountain's Modern Name?

 Journal Reader In Anchorage Requests Insight Into Origin Of Gunsight Mountain's English Name 

Gunsight Mountain On The Glenn Highway. (Photo by Country Journal) 

Did Any Copper Valley People Know Harry Heintz Or Other Glenn Highway Workers? 

Wikipedia: The Ahtna Name for the Mountain:

Letter From Gerrit Verbeek

Monday, April 29th, 2024


I'm an amateur historian in Anchorage, working on a project to research and publish the stories behind geographic placenames between the Susitna and Copper Rivers as a free, public, digital atlas at www.chosslore.com.

First, I wanted to just thank you and your coworkers for the Copper River Country Journal. It's a really incredible archive of news and stories which would otherwise slip through the cracks, and I look forward to reading more of it! Thanks for your decades of journalism and your decision to keep going in a digital format.

Today I came across your 2020 profile of Harry Heintz while working on a project which briefly discusses the history of the Glenn Highway. I've been curious about the origin of Gunsight Mountain for a few years now. I'm fairly familiar with the names in the area that came from the Glenn expedition, the USGS, and mining activity, but that name seems to have been invented during highway construction and was first reported to the Federal government in 1952.

Other more minor names like 'Goober Lake' feel much more like a road crew name, but it struck me today that Harry Heintz was in the right place at the right time on his 1939-1940 clearing expeditions, especially because Gunsight is a major landmark and was clearly named from the east.

I spotted that it appears Gladys passed away in 1996, followed by Harry in 2000 with no direct descendants.

Can you please suggest any primary sources, interviews, friends, etc. I could look at to try to track down who first came up with the name "Gunsight", or just to learn more about the construction of the Glenn from a local perspective? Sincerely,