| Henderson Mountain | |
| Elevation Ft: | 10343 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 526 |
| Isolation Mi: | 1.48 |
| Isolation Ref: | [2] |
| Parent Peak: | Scotch Bonnet Mountain |
| Etymology: | Bart Henderson |
| Map: | Montana#USA |
| Map Size: | 270 |
| Label Position: | top |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Montana |
| Region: | Park |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Range: | Beartooth Mountains Rocky Mountains |
| Coordinates: | 45.0522°N -109.9452°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Cooke City |
| Rock: | Limestone, Igneous rock, Breccia |
| Age: | 44.0 ± 4.1 million years |
| Type: | Laccolith |
Henderson Mountain is a 10343abbr=offNaNabbr=off summit in Park County, Montana, United States.
Henderson Mountain is located 2.4miles north of Cooke City, Montana, in the Beartooth Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[1] It is set within the New World Mining District and the Custer-Gallatin National Forest.[2] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's north slope drains into Fisher Creek which is a tributary of the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River, whereas the south slope drains into Miller Creek → Soda Butte Creek → Lamar River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises nearly 1400abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Fisher Creek in 0.6miles. The mountain is a laccolith composed of Cambrian limestone, breccia, and Eocene dacite porphyry.[4] [5] Gold was discovered on Henderson Mountain in 1888.[4] In the mid-1990s, Henderson Mountain was the epicenter of legal fighting over plans to mine a billion dollars' worth of gold and silver from the mountain which would threaten nearby Yellowstone National Park.[6] The environmental controversy ended when the US government bought out the mining claim.[7] The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[3] and has been featured in publications since at least 1893.[8] Bart Henderson was one of the four trappers who discovered the New World Mining District in 1869, with the others being Adam Miller, J. H. Moore, and James Gourley.[9] (Miller Mountain is 1.61miles west-southwest of Henderson Mountain).[1]
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Henderson Mountain is located in a subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and mild summers.[10] Winter temperatures can drop below 0 °F with wind chill factors below −10 °F.