This is mostly an encore post — a tribute to Paramount Pictures in the company’s centennial year.
There’s a geography exercise and social studies bell ringer in this somewhere [links added]:
From the Deseret News: “Ben Lomond Peak towers above Ogden (Utah). The mountain is believed to have inspired the Paramount movie logo, below, in use since 1914. (Ravell Call, Deseret News)
What is the most “paramount” mountain in Utah?
How about Timpanogos Peak, Kings Peak, Mount Nebo, Mount Olympus. Lone Peak or Twin Peaks?
It’s none of the above because one of Hollywood’s most familiar images — the famous Paramount Pictures logo — was inspired by Weber County’s Ben Lomond Peak.
As such, Ben Lomond — not even the highest summit in Weber County — may be the most famous mountain in the Beehive State.
The peak is given credit for prompting creation of the majestic but fictional mountain in the popular Paramount design, based on two histories of the motion-picture company.
According to Leslie Halliwell’s “Mountain of Dreams,” a biography of Paramount, founder William Hodkinson grew up in Ogden and the logo was “a memory of childhood in his home state of Utah.”
Compare it to the Paramount Pictures logo now:
Paramount Pictures logo
Teachers may want to hustle over to the Deseret News site to capture the story for classroom use — the online version includes a short set of slides of a hike to the top of the peak (it’s a climb most reasonably healthy people can make in a day – “reasonably healthy” to include acclimated to the altitude).
What other geographic features have become commercial logos? How do images of geography affect our culture?
For my money, I still like Timpanogos better, even if the Osmonds did use it.
This image of Mt. Ben Lomond looks more like the Paramount logo, some might say.
More, Related Articles:
- Hiking Ben Lomond (Utah.com)
- Utah Hikes listing on Ben Lomond
- PeakBagger’s listing, and map
- Flickr photo series from Wilderness Recreation Center
- Ben Lomond Peak (colvinsketchbooks.blogspot.com)
- Paramount at 100: Ready for its closeup (cbsnews.com)
- Centennial Celebration 2: Paramount Pictures (marinachetner.com)
- Mountain of Dreams, history of Paramount Pictures by Leslie Halliwell
- UPDATE: Discussion at Cecil’s Straight Dope
Posted by Ed Darrell 
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