Mount Aeolus (Vermont)

For other places with the same name, see Mount Aeolus.

Mount Aeolus
Dorset, Bennington County, Vermont
Elevation	3,230 ft (985 m) NGVD 29[1]
Location
Range	Taconic Range
Coordinates	43°14′26″N 73°02′19″W / 43.2406309°N 73.0387151°W / 43.2406309; -73.0387151Coordinates: 43°14′26″N 73°02′19″W / 43.2406309°N 73.0387151°W / 43.2406309; -73.0387151[2]
Topo map	USGS Manchester

Geographic Information

Mount Aeolus is a mountain summit in Dorset., Bennington County, Vermont, United States. Mount Aeolus is one of the Taconic Mountains. It lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the community of East Dorset.^[2]

Name

Its name is derived from Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind. The Board on Geographic Names ruled in favor of the current name in 1986; prior to that time, the mountain had also been referred to as "Green Peak" and "Mount Eolus."^[2]

Mt Aeolus and Bill W

Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA was born on November 26, 1895, in East Dorset, Vermont, at his parents' home, then known as the Mount Aeolus Inn and Tavern, now the Wilson House. The Mt. Aeolus Inn was owned and operated by his grandfather, William Wilson. The elder Wilson had been an alcoholic and had a sobering experience while hiking on Mount Aeolus, and after that experience, remained sober for the remaining years of his life.

As a young man Bill followed in his grandfather’s footsteps, exploring the Mt. Aeolus hillsides and the trails gave him as much solace as they had for his grandfather.

Later in life, Bill found that the view from Room 6 at the Erdman's Eyrie Motel held the most meaning for him as it allowed to see the vistas that meant the most to him. Looking out the front windows he could see the towering Green Mountains with their “V” notch, which Bill used to walk as he meditated, and the back windows gave him a perfect view of Mt. Aeolus - a mountain which held particular meaning for him and his grandfather ^[3]. When the sun coming over the Green Mountains at dawn shines on the top of Mt. Aeolus, you can see the “halo” surrounding the mountain that was so revered by Bill and Lois Wilson. Today, one can enjoy the view of Mount Aeolus from Erdman's Eyrie which is still in operations under the name The Aerie Inn of Vermont^[4].

References

1. ^ "Mount Aeolus, Vermont". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7051. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Mount Aeolus". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1460935. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ Erdman, Charlie & Joyce. "Interview with Mr. & Mrs. Erdman". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxUmUs5Ofuw. Retrieved 9/1/2011. 
4. ^ Gajdatsy, Carol. "Interview with the Owner of The Aerie Inn, formerly the Erdman's Eyrie". http://aerieinnofvermont.com/. Retrieved 9/1/2011.