Robert Tatum
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Main discipline | Mountain climber |
| Other disciplines | Episcopal priest |
| Born | August 20, 1891 Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
| Nationality | American |
| Career | |
| Starting age | 21 |
| Starting discipline | Surveyor |
| Notable ascents | Mount McKinley (June 7, 1913) |
Robert George Tatum (August 20, 1891 – January 27, 1964) was an American mountain climber and Episcopal priest. He, along with Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, and Walter Harper were the first people to successfully climb Mount McKinley.
Early life
Tatum was born on August 20, 1981 in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of George, a photographer, and Emma Tatum. He grew up in Knoxville, and went to Sewanee: The University of the South.[1] In June 1911 he moved to Nenana, Alaska to visit his brother Howard, who was working at an Army outpost. That summer, Robert worked as a surveyor for the government; after that he taught at an Episcopalian mission school.[2][3]
Mount McKinley expedition
Episcopalian archdeacon[4] Hudson Stuck, who would later become the expedition leader, first met Tatum during a regular visit to the mission school. Stuck asked Tatum if he would join him in ascending Mount McKinley for the first time; he immediately accepted. In preparation for the climb, Tatum hiked about 1,200 miles (1,900 km), including a trip to Tanana Crossing with other missionaries to establish a new mission.[3]
On March 17, 1913, the expedition left Nenana to climb McKinley. Besides Stuck and Tatum (who was the cook),[5] the party consisted of Harry Peter Karstens, who led the expedition with Stuck; Walter Harper, an Alaska Native who had been Stuck's travelling companion for three years; and two Gwich'in teens, Johnny Fredson and Esaias George,[3] who helped at base camp and brought the dog teams back down before the summit.[5]
On June 6, they arrived at their final camp after three months of sometimes very dangerous climbing.[3]
The next morning, they left camp for their final summit push. At 1:30 p.m., the party reached the top of Mount McKinley, an elevation of 20,237 metres (66,394 ft).[6][7] They spent an hour and a half on the summit, during which Tatum planted a flag he had made earlier out of handkerchiefs. He compared the view to "looking out of a window of heaven." After taking readings from their instruments, they began the descent. Compared to the 50-day journey up the mountain, it took them just two days to make it back to base camp, and they arrived at Tanana on June 20.[3]
Later life
On June 7, 1922, Tatum was ordained an Episcopal priest in Nenana, but he soon returned to his hometown of Knoxville, where he ministered until his death on January 27, 1964.[2]
Legacy
Mount Tatum was named by Bradford Washburn in about 1945 for Tatum. The 11,053-foot-high (3,369 m) mountain is located in the Carpe Ridge between Muldrow and Traleika Glaciers, about 10 miles (16 km) away from Mount McKinley.[8]
References
- ^ Shearer, John (June 11, 2013). "Knoxvillian Robert Tatum was among first to climb Mt. McKinley". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Robert G. Tatum Photo Album, 1913–1917". University of Tennessee. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Moutoux, John T. (May 22, 1932). "Ascending the steep roof of the continent Just to 'look out the windows of heaven'". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Denali 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ "Dr. Stuck scales Mount M'Kinley" (PDF). The New York Times. June 21, 1913. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ a b Beckey, Fred (1993). Mount McKinley: Icy Crown of North America. The Mountaineers Books. pp. 118–119. ISBN 0-89886-362-7. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ^ Mantey, Kim (2013). Evans, Gayla (ed.). "National Elevation Dataset" (PDF). Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science. p. 2. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
{{cite web}}:|chapter=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Davidson, Jacob (September 13, 2013). "Denali, North America's Highest Peak, Is Now 83 Feet Shorter". Time. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from Feature Detail Report for: Mount Tatum. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
External links
- Robert Tatum at Peakbagger.com
- Robert Tatum's diaries
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