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UNC professor Elisha Mitchell was convinced that the highest mountain range east of the Rockies in the United States were in the Black Mountains of North Carolina. When challenged by a rival, Mitchell set out to prove his claim. He disappeared after setting out to climb to what he thought was the highest peak; four days later, searchers found his dead body at the bottom of a 40-foot cliff. That mountain, now known to in fact be the highest point east of the Rockies, now bears his name: Mount Mitchell [15].
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