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34-575: The valley was formed by Mendenhall Glacier over the course of roughly three thousand years. It was named for the American physicist and meteorologist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall . The Mendenhall Valley begins ten miles from the downtown area, at the intersection of Egan Drive and Glacier Highway, and ends ten miles farther west at the intersection of Glacier Highway and Mendenhall Loop Road at Auke Bay . The Valley comprises an area stretching from

68-571: A meteorological observatory to make systematic observations during his residence in Japan. From measurements using a Kater's pendulum of the force of gravity at sea level and at the summit of Mount Fuji , Mendenhall deduced a value for the mass of the Earth that agreed closely with estimates that Francis Baily had made in England by another method. He also made a series of elaborate measurements of

102-623: A joint article for the Juneau Empire Geologist Cathy Connor and Geophysicist Roman Motyka, both professors of the University of Alaska said "climatic warming coupled with ice loss through iceberg calving are the reasons the Mendenhall Glacier is retreating and shrinking." It is expected the glacier face will soon pull out of the lake. The retreat of the Mendenhall Glacier and other glaciers in

136-412: A series of wooden steps and a gradual elevation gain of 500 feet (150 m) on this trail. The Trail of Time, which connects to East Glacier Loop, includes historical signs and handicapped accessibility. The 0.8 miles (1,300 m) Nugget Falls Trail leads visitors to Nugget Falls , closer to the face of the glacier. Access to the outside area and trails is free. The West Glacier trail offers access to

170-546: A suggestion made by the English mathematician Augustus De Morgan in 1851, Mendenhall attempted to characterize the style of different authors through the frequency distribution of words of various lengths. In this article Mendenhall mentioned the possible relevance of this technique to the Shakespeare authorship question , and several years later the idea was picked up by a supporter of the theory that Sir Francis Bacon

204-576: Is a glacier about 13.6 miles (21.9 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley , about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska . The glacier and surrounding landscape is protected as part of the 5,815 acres (2,353 ha) Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest . The Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored

238-756: Is part of Senate District Q, represented in the Alaska Senate by Jesse Kiehl , a Democrat . There are four elementary schools ( Auke Bay , Glacier Valley , Mendenhall River , and Riverbend ), one middle school ( Floyd Dryden ), and one high school ( Thunder Mountain ) located in Mendenhall Valley. Most of Juneau's churches are located in the Valley. 58°23′30″N 134°34′00″W  /  58.39167°N 134.56667°W  / 58.39167; -134.56667 Mendenhall Glacier Mendenhall Glacier ( Tlingit : Áakʼw Tʼáak Sítʼ )

272-541: Is retreating due to a generally warming climate in Southeast Alaska, linked to global warming driven by climate change . The US Forest Service, which manages the Mendenhall Glacier, says "because glaciers are a product of climate, they respond to climate change ." The Mendenhall Glacier has retreated approximately 2.5 miles since its most recent maxima during the Little Ice Age in the mid-1700s. In

306-509: The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center as part of the Tongass National Forest , offering interpretive programs throughout the year for children and adults. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and surrounding area offer views of a lake-terminating, calving glacier . This was the first U.S. Forest Service visitor center built in the nation; it was designed by Linn A. Forrest and dedicated in 1962. The building

340-708: The pendulum was more regular than the most accurate clocks of the era, and as the "world's best clock" it was used by Albert A. Michelson to measure the speed of light , for which he won a Nobel Prize in 1907. An early model of the original 1890s Mendenhall Gravimeter is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Mendenhall was appointed president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 1894 until 1901, when he emigrated to Europe. He returned to

374-538: The wetlands along Fritz Cove and Auke Bay back to the Mendenhall Glacier as well as Mendenhall Lake and the Mendenhall River , which for the most part drains the Valley. The Valley forms the core of Alaska's 34th election (or state House) district, which is represented in the Alaska House of Representatives by Andi Story , a Democrat . Along with the rest of Juneau and adjoining communities, it

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408-523: The Eklutna glacier for their freshwater. If the recession of this glacier continues they will be out of their main source of water. Although there are many negative effects of the recession of the Mendenhall Glacier and glaciers in general, there are also a few positive outcomes. With the retreat of the Mendenhall Glacier, the Mendenhall Lake has formed. The lake is a result of the run-off from

442-570: The Ohio State Meteorological Service. He devised a system of weather signals for display on railroad trains. This method became general throughout the United States and Canada. He became professor at the U.S. Signal Corps in 1884, introducing of systematic observations of lightning , and investigating methods for determining ground temperatures. He was the first to establish stations in the United States for

476-713: The Tlingit. The glacier was named Auke (Auk) Glacier by naturalist John Muir for the Tlingit Auk Kwaan (or Aak'w Kwaan) band in 1879. In 1891 it was renamed in honor of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall . It extends from the Juneau Icefield , its source, to Mendenhall Lake . Since 2011, periodic glacial floods have occurred from the Suicide Basin into the lake and downstream Mendenhall River . A major release in 2023 destroyed two buildings. The glacier

510-579: The United States in 1912. He was appointed to the board of trustees of the Ohio State University in 1919 and is remembered for his successful efforts to close the College of Homeopathic Medicine and his unsuccessful effort to limit the capacity of Ohio Stadium to 45,000 seats, contending that it would never be able to fill to its design capacity of 63,000 seats. He continued to serve as a trustee until his death at Ravenna, Ohio in 1924. He

544-589: The area is believed by some to be a result of broader retreat and breakup of the Juneau Icefield. The Juneau Icefield is the fifth largest icefield in North America. Many populations near glacial areas rely on the glaciers for fresh drinking water. Once these glaciers are gone these people will need another source. For example, Anchorage , the most populated city in Alaska and many people there rely on

578-615: The continually increasing melting experienced at the glacier's terminus . However, this interesting phenomenon will fade away if temperatures continue to climb, since the head of the glacier will no longer have cold enough ambient temperatures to cause snow to precipitate. It was originally known as Sitaantaago ("the Glacier Behind the Town") or Aak'wtaaksit ("the Glacier Behind the Little Lake"), also Latinized as Aakwtaaksit, by

612-491: The customary system, based on that of England , to the metric system . Mendenhall remained a strong proponent for the official adoption of the metric system all his life. Also, as superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, he was also responsible for defining the exact national boundary between Alaska and Canada. The Mendenhall Valley and Glacier in Juneau, Alaska was named for him in 1892. Mendenhall invented

646-433: The first member of the original faculty. He was later awarded the first ever honorary Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1878. In 1878, on the recommendation of Edward S. Morse , he was recruited to help the modernization of Meiji Era Japan as one of the o-yatoi gaikokujin (hired foreigners), serving as visiting professor of physics at Tokyo Imperial University . In connection with this appointment, he founded

680-446: The glacier and is increasing in size as the glacier continues to retreat. The lake began to form in 1929 and has continued to grow. The lake has a unique ecosystem and is a nursery for a variety of fish including several type of salmon, Dolly Varden, char, and cutthroat trout. In 2012, tree stumps and logs with attached roots and bark appeared under the retreating glacier. They are in their original growth position, preserved under what

714-557: The glacier itself and the chance to view ice caves beneath it. This trail is located across the lake from the Visitor Center. In addition to the busy summer season, the center hosts the Fireside Lecture series on Friday evenings, January through March. Programs cover ecological and cultural history, and events in Southeast Alaska. Romeo was a wolf who lived around Mendenhall Glacier between 2003 and 2009 until he

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748-432: The outlet glaciers of the Juneau Icefield since 1942, including Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier has also retreated 1.75 miles (2.82 km) since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. The end of the glacier currently has a negative glacier mass balance and will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future. Given that average yearly temperatures are currently increasing, and

782-428: The outlook is for this trend to continue, it is actually possible that the glacier might experience a period of stabilization or slight advance during its retreating march. This is because increasing amounts of warm, moist air will be carried up to the head of the icefield, where colder ambient temperatures will cause it to precipitate as snow. The increased amount of snow will feed the icefield, possibly enough to offset

816-638: The physics department at University of Wisconsin–Madison for 34 years. He taught at a number of schools in Ohio including Central High School in Columbus, gaining an impressive reputation as a teacher and educator. In 1873, although he lacked conventional academic credentials, he was appointed professor of physics and mechanics at the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The college ultimately became Ohio State University , Mendenhall being

850-580: The portable Mendenhall Gravimeter in 1890 while he was superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and at that time it provided the most accurate relative measurements of the local gravitational field of the Earth. The gravimeters were used at over 340 survey stations across the US and around the world including Germany, the Netherlands , Java , Philippines , Cuba , Haiti , Bahamas , Dominican Republic , Panama , Canada, and Mexico. The swing of

884-686: The systematic observation of earthquake phenomena. Resigning in 1886, Mendenhall took up the presidency of the Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana before becoming superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1889. During his time as superintendent, he issued the Mendenhall Order and oversaw the consequent transition of the United States's weights and measures from

918-484: The wavelengths of the solar spectrum by means of a large spectrometer . He also became interested in earthquakes while in Japan, and was one of the founders of the Seismological Society of Japan (SSJ). During his time in Japan, he also gave public lectures on various scientific topics to general audiences in temples and in theaters. Returning to Ohio in 1881, Mendenhall was instrumental in developing

952-509: Was believed to be a protective gravel layer. By uncovering them, scientists learn about the ecosystem from before the glacier formed. They can determine trees' ages when they died by looking at their preserved remains. One of the scientists, Cathy Conner, was reported as finding "The most recent stumps emerging from the Mendenhall are between 1,400 and 1,200 years old. The oldest are around 2,350 years old. Some have dated around 1,870 to 2,000 years old." The United States Forest Service operates

986-865: Was born in Hanoverton, Ohio , to Stephen Mendenhall, a farmer and carriage-maker, and Mary Thomas. In 1852 the family moved to Marlboro , a Quaker community outside of Akron, Ohio . His parents were strong abolitionists and frequently opened their home to escaped slaves heading north along the Underground Railroad . Mendenhall became principal of the local primary school in 1858. He formalized his teaching qualifications at National Normal University in 1861 with an Instructor Normalis degree. While living in Columbus, Ohio , he married Susan Allan Marple in 1870. The couple had one child, Charles Elwood Mendenhall (1872–1935), teacher and chairman of

1020-769: Was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin. His portrait is currently part of the Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. It was painted by his former pupil Annie Ware Sabine Siebert , who was the first recipient of a Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University in 1886, and one of the first women to earn an architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1888. [2] A portrait by famous artist and Columbus, Ohio native George Bellows

1054-407: Was commissioned by the Ohio State University in 1913. The largest collection of images, historical documents and handwritten material relating to Thomas Corwin Mendenhall is with Mendenhall family member documentary filmmaker Sybil Drew. In 1887 Mendenhall published one of the earliest attempts at stylometry also known as author profiling, the quantitative analysis of writing style. Prompted by

Mendenhall Valley, Juneau - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-543: Was expanded, renovated and rededicated in 1999. The two small parking lots have access to several trails in the area. Photo Point Trail and the Steep Creek Trail are easy and accessible trails. Elevated boardwalks above Steep Creek provide salmon and bear viewing opportunities. Visitors can hike via the East Glacier Loop to an overlook within 1 mile (1,600 m) of the glacier. Two routes traverse

1122-494: Was killed by out-of-state poachers. The Visitor Center has an exhibit and taxidermy of Romeo's pelt to commemorate him and the town's love for him. Nick Jans ' book, A Wolf Called Romeo , brings Romeo's life to a broader audience. Thomas Corwin Mendenhall Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (October 4, 1841 – March 23, 1924) was an American autodidact physicist and meteorologist . He

1156-473: Was the first professor hired at Ohio State University in 1873 and the superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (one of the ancestor organizations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ) from 1889 to 1894. Alongside his work, he was also an advocate for the adoption of the metric system by the United States and is the father of author profiling . Mendenhall

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