Samuel Hitt Elbert Edward Moody McCook, was reappointed Governor. Samuel Elbert was appointed to the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado in 1877 where he served until 1889. Elbert served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1879 to 1883. Samuel Elbert died on November 27, 1899. Elbert County, Colorado; Elbert, Colorado; and Mount Elbert, the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains, are named in honor of Samuel Hitt Elbert. Grateful miners named Mount Elbert after the governor because he brokered a treaty with the Ute tribe, which opened up more than of Indian reservation to mining and railroad activity.
Mount Elbert head with the Mount Massive supporters building large piles of stones on the summit to boost its height, only to have the Mount Elbert proponents demolish them. The effort was ultimately unsuccessful and Mount Elbert has remained the highest peak in Colorado. The first motorized ascent of Elbert occurred in 1949, when a Jeep was driven to the summit, apparently to judge suitability for skiing development. The summit of Mount Elbert is an alpine environment, featuring plants such as "Phacelia sericea" (sky-pilot), "Hymenoxys grandiflora" (old-man-of-the-mountain), and "Geum rossii" (alpine avens). Also noted are "Carex atrata" var. "pullata", "Salix desertorum", "Platanthera