Blog Post

World's Largest M: world record set in Platteville

July 11, 2022

Platteville, Wisconsin, United States--The World's Largest M (also known as The Platteville Mound) was created by students of the former Wisconsin Mining School, now known as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, thus the "M"; it is 241 feet high, 214 feet wide, with legs 25 feet wide; it is constructed of limestone and weighs approximately 400 tons, setting the world record for being the World's Largest M, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

The Platteville Mound is one mile long and approximately one-half mile wide, 150 feet high and 450 feet above the city at the summit of the hill. The "M" was built on the south side of the hill at a 45-degree gradient.

"The world’s largest “M,” located on the Platte Mound four miles northeast of the city of Platteville, has served to help identify the university throughout the years," the Platteville Regional Chamber reports.

"The outline of the “M” is lit once each year in the fall and for special occasions, using coffee cans containing kerosene. Wicks made from sound-deadening board are lit inside more than 200 cans."

"You can see the 241-foot-by-214-foot letter from nearly 30 miles away," the Travel Wisconsin reports.

"There are over 200 steps to reach the top, where a look-out telescope is located to see Platteville and surrounding areas. There are various trails and rocks to climb. The best time to go there is during the sunset, because it faces west," the Roadside America reports.

"Made of stones whitewashed every year by students at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the Big M is truly an amazing sight to drivers along U. S. Highway 151.

"Twice a year, in the spring for the annual "M-Ball", and in the fall for Homecoming, the "M" is set afire and the blazing 13th letter can be seen as far away as Dubuque, Iowa. Actually, the whitewashed "M" itself is not lit. Smudge-pots are placed around the "M" and those are lit from a torch carried four miles by a runner from the University."

Photos: Plattersville Regional Chamber (1,3), University Of Wisconsin-Platteville (2)

The Platte Mound M is the letter "M" written using whitewashed stones on Platte Mound about four miles east of Platteville, Wisconsin.

It is the largest hillside letter "M" in the world. The letter is 241 feet (73 m) high, 214 feet (65 m) wide, with legs 25 feet (7.6 m) wide.

Facts at a Glance

An "M" is the official symbol for the "Miners" of the Wisconsin Institute of Technology, formerly the Wisconsin Mining School and currently the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Platte Mound is 150 feet high and rises an estimated 400 feet above the city of Platteville, is one mile long and one half mile wide. It is about five miles from campus.
Total area of the "M" exceeds one acre and is approximately 24,000 square feet in area. ? The "M" is built on a 45-degree slope of the Platte Mound and can be seen from high points in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The engineers at the Wisconsin Mining School finished construction of the "M" on May 19, 1937.
The legs are about 241 feet high and 214 feet apart. Each leg is 45 feet at the base and 25 feet wide at the center.
Howard B. Morrow, president of the Wisconsin Mining School, helped supervise the construction.
The engineering students moved four tons of rock and limestone using picks, crowbars and wheelbarrows to shape the "M."
On March 31, 1960, L.R. Clausen, landowner of 93 acres of the mound, donated the land to officially make it part of the Wisconsin Mining School.
The "M" was featured in an issue of Life Magazine on May 23, 1949, and by MTV in 1987.

"An iconic symbol of the mining tradition and the history of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is the world's largest "M," located on the Platte Mound four miles northeast of the city of Platteville," the University of Wisconsin-Platteville reports.

"The original "M" design was based on the monogram of the Wisconsin Mining School in 1936. The "M" garnered national fame in the May 23, 1949 edition of Life magazine. The multi-page spread highlighted the lighting of the "M" and compared it to others throughout the country. MTV featured the "M" in November 1987 as 650 students gathered to complete the music television's logo on the mound."

The World's Largest M is a one mile long and half mile wide mound that rises 450 feet (140 m) above its surroundings. The college had received permission to construct the letter from property owner William Snow. A Mr. Clausen from Racine, who later purchased the land, then donated it to the Board of State College Regents.

The letter has been maintained by engineering students at the university since the mining engineering department closed in the 1990s. The Society of Automotive Engineers student organization at UW-Platteville performs all annual maintenance, including brush and tree removal in fall, lighting it for Homecoming in fall with fiberboard wicks in coffee cans of kerosene, and whitewashing it in spring.

TESTIMONIALS from Trip Advisor

"Short distance from the business section - simple parking at the base. Where your hiking / walking shoes since it is 266 steps straight up (luckily they have viewing platforms along the way to stop and rest). Once at the top you can follow various trails and find some awesome rock formations and small caves. In summer it can get a bit warm and don't forget bug spray. From the top of the stairs you can also get a beautiful view of the surrounding farming / Amish community.

"The view at sunset is nothing less than spectacular, well worth the climb.
We are a senior citizen couple and we stopped at the two benches on the way up.. nice job on the design... They also have done good photo scenery as well. Highly recommended.. you can get some shots along the way there as well, but the photos at TG he bottom of the M make the whole picture complete."

" We didn't climb up the stairs to see the view from the top. Leave that for the youngsters, but the view of the pretty Wisconsin farmland is great from the bottom too. Fun little outing for all ages, and it's free."

"You can see for miles around. If it's a Sunday mid-morning you can enjoy the clip-clop on the road below as the Amish horse and buggies go by."

World's Largest M

Address: 18600 W Mound Rd, Platteville, WI 53818, United States

Directions: Northeast of town. US Hwy 151 exit 21. Drive east one mile on County Rd Xx. Turn left (north) onto W. Mound Rd. Drive two miles to the M, on the right.

Hours: Open 24 hours

Coordinates: 42.763713°N 90.406666°W

Related WORLD RECORDS:

WISCONSIN WORLD RECORDS

TEXAS WORLD RECORDS

PENNSYLVANIA WORLD RECORDS

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the largest human letter is 7,194 people, and was achieved by the University of California, Berkeley (USA) in Berkeley, California, USA, 15 August 2017. The participants formed a letter 'C' on the California Memorial Stadium field.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the largest building in the shape of an alphabet letter; it is 3,647 m² (11,965.22 ft²) and was achieved by Dentaprime (Bulgaria), in Varna, Bulgaria, on 2 April 2020. The building, in the shape of the letter 'D', was constructed in order to provide affordable dental treatment, designed to contain 50 treatment rooms.