Mount Lemmon near Summerhaven in Pima County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Two "M"s in Lemmon?
In 1881, Emerson Stratton, a local rancher, led botanists J.G. and Sara Plummer Lemmon to the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Mr. Stratton was so impressed with Mrs. Lemmon that he named the peak after her on the day they arrived at the summit. Mt. Lemmon is one of the few peaks in the United States named after a woman.
As a botanist, J.G. Lemmon discovered and documented many southwestern plants. However, it is now widely believed that Sara Lemmon in fact collected and described many of those plants, including the plants listed here.
Plants described by the Lemmons in the 1880s
Mustard Streptanthus lemmonii
Spurge Manihot davisae
Fern Notholaena lemmonii
Milkweed Matelea arizonica
Senecio Senecio lemmoni
What Lies Up the Road?
The site originally built as an Air Defence Radar station in 1955 has evolved over the years into a world class research and educational facility. Since 1970 the University of Arizona has operated the site under permit from the U.S. Forest Service. Steward Observatory and the Lunar and Planetary Lab have made significant discoveries in the areas of Optical and Infrared astronomy and the detection of near earth objects. The Mount Lemmon Observatory is home to the Sky Center which offers viewing opportunities for the public on the Southwest's largest public-dedicated telescope, as well as the University of Arizona Sky School that provides immersive science education programs to middle and high school youth."
Contact Mount Lemmon Sky Center for more information. (The URL is linked below.)
[Captions:]
Young lady looking through Schulman telescope.
Image courtesy of Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona
Erected by Coronado National Forest, Sky Island Scenic Byway, Sky Islands Children's Museum, America's Byways, ADOT.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 32° 26.43′ N, 110° 47.132′ W. Marker is near Summerhaven, Arizona, in Pima County. It is in Mount Lemmon. It can be reached from East Ski Run Road near East Cap Rock Trail, on the left when traveling west. This marker stands next to the bathrooms just off the Mount Lemmon Trailhead Entrance parking lot near the summit of Mt. Lemmon. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10030 E Ski Run Rd, Mount Lemmon AZ 85619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Sky Islands, in the Sonoran Desert, in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, and specifically in the Tucson Metro Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Southwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Gadsden Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lemmon Rock Lookout Tower (approx. 0.4 miles away); The San Pedro River Valley (approx. 6.2 miles away); Honorable Frank Harris Hitchcock (approx. 6½ miles away); Catalina Federal Honor Camp (approx. 8 miles away); La Casa Del High Jinks (approx. 9½ miles away); DeGrazia Gallery In the Sun (approx. 10.3 miles away); American Flag (approx. 10.4 miles away); Agua Caliente Ranch and Hot Springs (approx. 11½ miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Caρada Del Oro (was approx. 9.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Mt. Lemmon Skycenter. Official website This is the link that is on the marker. (Submitted on June 8, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 15 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

