A.H. Marshall’s “A Mountain From Some Mole Hills or the Wanderings of a Telegrapher on Vacation”

We are delighted to post Arthur Harmon Marshall’s journal, “A Mountain From Some Mole Hills, or the Wanderings of a Telegrapher on Vacation,” a 2475-page handwritten chronicle of Marshall’s entire life (1886-1951), including his fascinating highpointing adventures. Marshall was the first person to go to the highest point in every state, starting with Mt. Rainier in 1919 and completing with Indiana in 1936. Marshall’s journal was donated to the Mazamas Club at the Highpointers Convention in June 2012 at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood by Kenyon Rainier Stebbins.

Kenyon’s father, C. Rowland Stebbins of Lansing Michigan, was the second person to complete every state in the union, finishing in 1950. Stebbins learned about Marshall in 1940, and enjoyed a lengthy visit with him in 1949 in Portland, Oregon, just 18 months before Marshall died. Five years later, Marshall’s brother presented the extensive journal to Stebbins with the understanding it was to be given to the Mazamas Club eventually. Since there was no Highpointers Club in Marshall’s day, the Mazamas Club has graciously permitted this to be used on our website.

C.R. Stebbins shared his highpointing passion with his three sons, who became the 5th, 6th, and 7th persons to complete the lower 48 in the early 1960s (although by then Alaska and Hawaii had been admitted to the Union, so none of them has completed all 50 states).

Kenyon’s brother Malcolm Whitney Stebbins has spent countless hours digitally photographing each page from the journal and organizing it and posting it to smugmug.com. thus making it available to everyone.

We are working to find a permanent online home for the manuscript. In the meantime Malcolm has graciously permitted us to link to his work.

The chapters are below

Here is Marshall’s list of completions which will help readers find individual states within the journal.