Geographic Information

Mount Aeolus is a mountain

Mountain

Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

 summit in Dorset

Dorset, Vermont

Dorset is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,036 at the 2000 census. Dorset is famous for being home to America's oldest marble quarry and for being the birth place of Alcoholics Anonymnous co-founder Bill W...

., Bennington County, Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Mount Aeolus is one of the Taconic Mountains

Taconic Mountains

The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range are a physiographic section of the larger New England province and part of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western...

. It lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the community of East Dorset.

Name

Its name is derived from Aeolus

Aeolus

Aeolus was the ruler of the winds in Greek mythology. In fact this name was shared by three mythic characters. These three personages are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which Aeolus was which...

, the Greek god

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

 of the wind. The Board on Geographic Names

United States Board on Geographic Names

The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...

 ruled in favor of the current name in 1986; prior to that time, the mountain had also been referred to as "Green Peak" and "Mount Eolus."

Mt Aeolus and Bill W

Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA was born on November 26, 1895, in East Dorset, Vermont, at his parents' home, then known as the Mount Aeolus Inn and Tavern, now the Wilson House. The Mt. Aeolus Inn was owned and operated by his grandfather, William Wilson. The elder Wilson had been an alcoholic and had a sobering experience while hiking on Mount Aeolus, and after that experience, remained sober for the remaining years of his life.

As a young man Bill followed in his grandfather’s footsteps, exploring the Mt. Aeolus hillsides and the trails gave him as much solace as they had for his grandfather.

Later in life, Bill found that the view from Room 6 at the Erdman's Eyrie Motel held the most meaning for him as it allowed to see the vistas that meant the most to him. Looking out the front windows he could see the towering Green Mountains with their “V” notch, which Bill used to walk as he meditated, and the back windows gave him a perfect view of Mt. Aeolus

Mount Aeolus (Vermont)

- Geographic Information :Mount Aeolus is a mountain summit in Dorset., Bennington County, Vermont, United States. Mount Aeolus is one of the Taconic Mountains. It lies west of the community of East Dorset.- Name :...

- a mountain which held particular meaning for him and his grandfather . When the sun coming over the Green Mountains at dawn shines on the top of Mt. Aeolus, you can see the “halo” surrounding the mountain that was so revered by Bill and Lois Wilson. Today, one can enjoy the view of Mount Aeolus from Erdman's Eyrie which is still in operations under the name The Aerie Inn of Vermont.