This idea of taking land considered at-risk to make a park first took hold at Mount Rainier, and today is a hallmark of national parks. Unlike many parks however, the movement to conserve Mount Rainier first gathered steam in Washington state, not across the nation, and the effort to protect it was primarily a local one.
Scientists from the area, as well as local mountain enthusiasts and even the Northern Pacific Railroad, all had a hand in the creation of the park. The railroad realized that it could make a veritable mint off new parks, so in , it brought dignitaries from around the world to Mount Rainier, including Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont. I have been through the Swiss mountains, and I am compelled to own that incredible as the assertion may appear, there is absolutely no comparison between the finest effects that are exhibited there and what is seen in approaching this grand isolated mountain.
As the park movement gathered steam throughout the late 19th Century, Washington state's senators and congressmen introduced legislation in six consecutive sessions of Congress looking to establish a "Washington National Park.
In essence, most in the government felt that Yellowstone would be an isolated event. Visit Mount Rainer today and you'll be able to experience a wide array of settings, from temperate rainforest in the northwestern corner via the Carbon River Entrance to glacial conditions that lure mountaineers from around the world.
Residents of Tacoma were understandably delighted, while those in Seattle, Olympia, and other competing cities howled in protest. As historian Genevieve McCoy noted, the decision would show which city "had won economic dominance in the region" McCoy, Although federal agencies refused to change the name, debate raged through the mids.
Increasing tourism fueled desires to protect the mountain and surrounding forests. In , Congress established the Forest Reserve Act to better conserve the nation's timber and water resources. Agent Cyrus Mosier assessed the Mount Rainier region, denounced any idea of logging it, and suggested that keeping it "unsullied" would allow for the creation of a "great public park" Catton, National Park, City Playground , President Benjamin Harrison, with significant local support, responded by creating the Pacifc Forest Reserve in While encouraged, the mountain's advocates wanted more.
The mountain's western flanks extended past the reserve's borders, and forest reserves were created to manage logging but not absolutely prohibit it. Geologist Bailey Willis started the campaign for a new national park in Scientists, climbers, tourists, and business interests joined the campaign for varying reasons.
Scientists wanted to preserve the ecosystem that Willis described as "an arctic island in a temperate sea" Catton, National Park, City Playground , Climbers and tourists, through clubs such as the Washington Alpine Club, the Sierra Club, and the Appalachian Mountain Club, recognized that increased use led to environmental degradation, and they wanted the federal government to protect places such as Paradise Meadows.
Additionally, they wanted to protect public access and keep the mountain from falling into corporate hands. In contrast, business leaders in Tacoma and Seattle hoped to profit from the tourists that a national park would surely attract. Washington Senator Watson Squire proposed a bill to create "Washington National Park" in late , but it took nearly six years, multiple bills from multiple sponsors, and numerous revisions to get the bill through Congress.
Borders were one issue, as Watson used those of the Pacific Forest Reserve. His second bill, in , expanded the border to include the entire mountain but accommodated mining interests by removing lands to the south and east.
The final bill reduced the size of the park even more and explicitly allowed mining even inside the park's borders. Land acquisition was another challenge. The Northern Pacific Railway owned some , acres in the park and surrounding forests.
To resolve the matter, Congress controversially allowed the company to swap its holdings for more valuable, federally owned timberlands elsewhere. Finally, powerful leaders in the House of Representatives worried the park would be a drain on the federal budget.
An informal promise to not request funds for development during their tenure cleared opposition, and, after a last-minute decision to change the name to "Mount Ranier [sic] National Park," Congress passed the bill.
President McKinley signed it into law on March 2, Improving access to the new park was a priority, and the Tacoma Eastern Railroad took the lead. The route was immediately popular, and total ridership on the line jumped from about 32, in to , in To accommodate the flood of tourists, the Tacoma Eastern obtained a lease from the federal government and opened the two-story National Park Inn near Longmire's Hotel in Outraged, the Longmires tried to open a saloon and claimed acres under the Homestead Act.
Park officials quashed both efforts, burned the homestead's cabin, and eventually bought out the Longmires in Rail service fueled development in the park's early years, but road construction, first for wagons and then automobiles shortly thereafter, played a much greater role in the park's growth and development.
Eugene Ricksecker , working for the U. Army Corp of Engineers, planned a route to Paradise that prioritized scenery and the driving experience. The first automobile entered the park in , and the road to Paradise opened for full public use in To better manage the growing number of national parks, Congress established the National Park Service in Stephen Mather , the first director, hoped to develop the nation's parks through partnership with private enterprise.
In his vision, the government would build critical infrastructure, while private interests would provide lodging, transportation, and attractions. Each park would grant an exclusive monopoly to a chosen company.
They opened the Paradise Inn in , and with support from the park, bought out competing camps. While these early successes encouraged company officials, they failed to achieve their long-term goals. Instead of attracting well-heeled patrons from afar, too many park visitors drove from Seattle and Tacoma on summer weekends and preferred free, government-run campgrounds over the company's hotels, tent camps, and dining halls. The Cooperative Campers of the Pacific Northwest opposed the very existence of a corporate monopoly in the park and offered an alternative.
Campers could pay an extra fee to have bags transported from one camp to another. RNPC leaders objected to this competition, and park officials sided with them. They arrested and fined a packer working for the Campers in for running an unauthorized concession, but they shied away from more decisive actions against the organization to avoid public backlash. Conflict ended after the season when, seemingly, the Cooperative Campers disbanded.
Growth and development spawned numerous battles over use of the park, and it was up to park officials and rangers to police and define acceptable limits. The Department of the Interior first appointed a ranger to monitor Mount Rainier and the larger forest reserve shortly before the park was established. The most recent eruption was a small summit explosion sometime between and You can see the effects on the landscape in the lava ridges and fumaroles, which expel steam and other gases through volcanic vents.
Generations of Native Americans, explorers and settlers all lived in the area. These individuals left a rich archaeological history including hints to previous weather patterns, animals that roamed the area, and settlement remnants. The park is home to over species of wildlife. If you get very lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a Pacific fisher, a house-cat sized member of the weasel family. The Pacific Fisher was eradicated by hunters from the area in the mid 's, but starting in , the park, along with state and private partners, started to reintroduce fishers into the park.
Park winters supply an abundance of snow-covered views and activities. Families searching for winter snow play should look no further; Rainier offers sledding in the Paradise area, back-country winter camping, skiing and snowboarding. Beautiful wildflowers transform meadows into an ocean of color in peak season at Mount Rainier. Most years, flowers will bloom in mid-July, and by August the park is awash with a beautiful seasonal hue.
There are hundreds of species of wildflowers to be found in the park, from Alpine Asters to the Glacier Lilies. One of the best ways to admire the variety of flora is by driving up the road to Sunrise center , the highest vehicle accessible peak in the park. As you climb the drive, vibrant valleys of sub-alpine flowers follow you. At 6, feet, Sunrise Peak offers a degree panoramic view of the park: a spectacular landscape of mountains, glaciers, and wildflower meadows.
Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. Mount Rainier History. Mount Rainier National Park is part of the traditional lands of indigenous people who have been here for generations. The Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, and Yakama people are the original stewards of this place and we learn from their examples of stewardship and respect for the land.
Journal of Northwest Anthropology, 50 2 Archaeological History Archaeological evidence traces native use of the area back 9, years. Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy observed the mountain while surveying the Pacific coast in and decided to name the mountain after his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. Mountaineers made some of the first non-native incursions on land, eager to summit the iconic peak. Van Trump and his friend General Hazard Stevens made the first recorded climb of the mountain in and others would soon follow.
In James Longmire, on his way down from summiting the mountain, found a mineral spring and opened a hotel and spa there not long after. The entrepreneurial spirit and scenic appreciation for the mountain that drove Longmire would emerge as key themes in the future development of Mount Rainier National Park. Scientists, mountaineers, conservation groups, local businesses, and large railroad companies all saw some possible benefit from a national park around Mount Rainier.
They combined their often disparate interests into a lobbying campaign starting in It stressed the potential for tourism from the nearby cities of Seattle and Tacoma, the unsuitability of land for other commercial purposes like agriculture, grazing, or mining, and a need to preserve the unique glacial landscape for further study.
0コメント