page_title: Hillside letters
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Hillside letters / Construction
caption_attribution_description: Picture of the en:University of Montana campus, showing en:Mount Sentinel with the M Logo, the en:Grizzly mascot, and University (Main) Hall.
context_page_description: Hillside letters or mountain monograms are a form of geoglyph common in the Western United States, consisting of large single letters, abbreviations, or messages emblazoned on hillsides, typically created and maintained by schools or towns. There are approximately 500 of these geoglyphs, ranging in size from a few feet to hundreds of feet tall. They form an important part of the western cultural landscape, where they function as symbols of school pride and civic identity, similar to water towers and town slogans on highway "welcome to" signs in other regions.
context_section_description: Hillside letters are typically built in three different manners:
  Built-up letters made from rocks and concrete are the most common. Other materials such as wood, old car tires, metal, and vinyl have also been used. The M in Missoula, Montana, for the University of Montana, is an example of a built-up letter.
  Painted letters are typically found on bare rock faces and cliffs, as is the G in Gap, Arizona.
  Cutout letters, the least common, are formed by removing the vegetation to create a letter; the R for the University of Redlands in Redlands, California, is an example.
  These emblems can range in size from 10 or 15 feet tall to hundreds of feet tall. The largest include the L for Lassen High School in Susanville, California (580 feet long), the R for University of Redlands in Redlands, California (430 feet long), the W for Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado (420 feet long), and the Y for Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah (380 feet long). In addition to single letters and abbreviations, full messages have been placed on hillsides using similar methods, such as "SAN LUIS OLDEST TOWN IN COLO." in San Luis, Colorado, "WELCOME TO HERSHEY" in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and "MOUNT PANORAMA" (with "BATHURST" temporarily added on at least two occasions) in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. The famous HOLLYWOOD sign built in 1923 to advertise the Hollywoodland Real Estate Group is not technically a hillside letter, but rather a billboard.
  Every letter of the alphabet is found as a single letter on a hillside except for X.  Two X’s do appear within words on hillsides: DIXIE in St. George, Utah, and PHOENIX near Phoenix, Arizona. The letter M is the most common hillside letter.
caption: "The M" overlooks the University of Montana from Mount Sentinel in Missoula
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