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Ranger: Explorers and settlers started coming to Mount Rainier in the late 1800s
Can you imagine what it was like back then? Who are these people
and what are their stories?
James Longmire: Now hold there! I'd like to take credit for finding this grand place but some of that credit
gotta go to my horse, Old Shot.
We were camped over by the river, just over yonder there, and Old Shot come up a missing
and so I set out looking for him and followed this here deer path
and low and behold it led me right into the meadows just over
beyond the trees there and there was Old Shot! He was drinking
from this bubblin' spring! Well I got- I got me an idea right there
of the potentiality of this here place! And so I got me a vial
of water and when we got back to Yelm I sent it clean off to Chicago
for a testing. And I got a smart report right back from them
that there are healthy minerals in all of these waters around here.
My family and I got us a mineral claim here. We built up
the cabins over here and two years ago we put up a hotel....
Ranger: In the hidden meadow found by Old Shot
James Longmire and his family developed a popular mineral springs resort.
It was the foundation for the Longmire Historic Landmark
District that still exists today. But not everyone felt that
the mountain and wilderness should be developed. One man in particular
John Muir became a leader in the conservation movement, inspired
in part by his visit to Mount Rainier in 1888.
John Muir: The making of parks goes on all over
civilizations all over the world. We all need beauty
as well as bread. Places to play in
and places to pray in. Places where nature can reach down
and touch and heal and give light to body and soul
alike. [Sigh] Now in the making
of the west, if nature had parks in mind, surely this Mount Rainier region
would have been one of them. Oh, the trees go to about six thousand
feet and above them is a zone of wildflowers
so rich and luxuriant, it's as if nature happy to set aside
a space a twixt woods so dense and ice so deep
were economizing the precious ground and seeing how of
her precious darlings she could put into a single mountain wreath
It is the finest subalpine garden I have ever
seen, a floral Elysium
My friends, seek the mountain
Seek the mountain and its blessings
like sunshine will seek
into the trees and winds will your freshness
into you and storms their energies
and your cares will drip off like autumn leaves
Nature's peace I give to you.
Ranger: Many people were drawn here for a different reason. They came to climb
the mountain. But it wasn't just men answering this challenge
Fay Fuller was the first woman to climb Mount Rainier and she accomplished this feat in 1890.
Fay Fuller: Welcome fellow adventurous souls
to the sweet forested hillsides of the grand Mount Tahoma
to the sweet forested hillsides of the grand Mount Tahoma.
Perhaps some of you have heard the account
of my recent ascent which I published in the Tacoma ledger
and which some of the more delicate members of our society
have recently spoken ill on account of me being unchaperoned with four male climbing companions
and the nature of my climbing costume.
But no matter, I trust that hearty citizens like yourself
understand that the lure of the mountains is by no means limited
to men in such changing times as these
nor is it impossible that a young woman such as myself
could achieve such a grand physical feat as the summit of Tahoma.
Spend a few weeks on its hillsides this summer if you want to fall in love with the world again
The beauty and grandeur you will find here will give you new life. And as for me, I am satisfied
for I have accomplished what I always dreamed of and feared impossible.
Ranger: The experiences of men and women like John Muir and Fay Fuller inspired
the public and helped to establish Mount Rainier as America's fifth National
Park on March 2, 1899.
But what does it mean
to be a national park? People came here for many different reasons and the
young park had its share of growing pains.
Grenville Allen: Oh my manners! My name is Grenville Allen and
I'm the acting superintendent of this magnificent new national park
You know, the horse and buggies are being phased out
and most of America is now traveling by auto. And so the Longmires
have put up quite a decent road from Yelm and Eatonville up here to Longmire
have put up quite a decent road from Yelm and Eatonville up here to Longmire and there's
been a very nicely established trail up to Camp of the Clouds, or Paradise, for
several years now. So my first reaction to allowing autos
in the park was to say "no!" I wanted to have more time to research
as to what these auto cars- their impacts on the park and the
visitor experience. But to my dismay, the Secretary of the Interior thought
otherwise and he issued auto permits. So this past year
of 1907-08 we issued a hundred and seventeen permits
and we're the first national park to allow cars in.
Who knows, by 1950 we might have to issue 500 permits!
Ranger: Grenville Allen
Ranger: Grenville Allen worked hard to make decisions
to preserve this wilderness, but also to create opportunities for
park visitors to enjoy it. Those visitors also played
a very big role in the development of the national park. One such
early visitor was Asahel Curtis. He helped organize
one of the first park visitor groups, The Mountaineers.
Asahel Curtis: I want to welcome you to this mountain and invite you
to join the Mountaineers club made of private citizens just like yourself
We Mountaineers started five years ago back in 1906, and we love
recreating at this majestic mountain. We also have the ear of the park
administration too, involving important matters like making this park safer to use
while we preserve it. There were a lot of other guides who didn't care about the park, preserving
it or protecting it. They would hunt and mine, and sell liquor
and all sorts of unsavory things. Things are getting
much better now that we, The Mountaineers, are cooperating with the park service
Well, that's enough about us Mountaineers, if you want any more information
please let me know, I will around the Longmire Springs area until up to Paradise on Thursday...
Ranger: One of the first men to
climb Mount Rainier was PB Van Trump. Like Asahel Curtis, PB was
a strong advocate for the national parks and he went on to become a
national park ranger. He was a master storyteller and loved to shared his stories with the visitors.
PB Van Trump: Oh, pardon me, I forget my manners. My name is Philemon Beecher Van Trump, "PB" for short
Superintendent Allen wants me to meet with the Secretaries upon their arrival and tell them all about Mount Tahoma
and my trip to the summit with General Stevens back in 1870. For those
of us who climb the mountain or make the attempt, this is the meaning of the mountain
It's the ultimate challenge. It's the highest peak.
It's the final test of our character. We face such a challenge the same way
we face any challenge in life. By having the nerve to begin and the courage to never give up.
Course, we all face mountains in life. Some made of rock
and ice, others made of our own imperfect hopes and dreams and the narrow
expectations of others around us. These things in no way affect
what we can do or who we are. Well, what about you?
What mountains do you face in your life and how will you challenge them?
At any rate, it's been a pleasure...
Ranger: Most people begin their journey to the mountain here by road. From the first automobile
in 1907, visitors and their vehicles continue to shape the development
of Mount Rainier National Park.
Aunt Eleanor: Why hello there! I drove all the way up
to Longmire Springs from Tacoma today to pick up my niece. She and some friends have been hiking
on a backcountry trail for the past three days. I'm supposed to meet her here at the gas station
Did you know this was the first national park to allow vehicles within the park boundary?
Well it was! Even before Yellowstone. Not only were automobiles
allowed within the park, the park was actually planned to accommodate them
Park planners laid out the road to take advantage of the most beautiful of
mountain scenes and car camps and Inns were built for
weary travelers in mind. Of course, I myself would not have been driving
within the park last year. Until this year, 1914, women
were not allowed to drive within the park. Now, it wasn't a rule or written
down anywhere, it was just "understood". You know what I mean.
Niece Joanne: Aunt Eleanor, hello! How was your drive?
Aunt Eleanor: Oh it was wonderful! I had no trouble at all. Did you have a good time?
Niece Joanne: Oh, it was terrific!
I can't wait until the Wonderland Trail is finished. Just think, a trail that lets you
hike all the way around the mountain. How grand! And now, with autos,
you can drive right here to Longmire Springs and hike on into the backcountry
or if hiking isn't your cup of tea, you can drive through the park like my Aunt Eleanor and
stay the night in one of the Inns.
Aunt Eleanor: Well, Joanne, it's about time to head back to Tacoma.
Niece Joanne: [sigh] I suppose. It's always so hard to leave.
It's so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in the city and just relax in
the pristine backcountry. Now, don't forget Aunt Eleanor, you promised me
I could drive on the way home.
Aunt Eleanor: I did? Mercy! Well, a promise is a promise.
Both: ♪We're ladies from Tacoma, Come to visit Mount Tahoma,
♪Our car broke down but we won't frown, We're going to push it into town,
♪So don't you fret, We'll get there yet, for we're courageous Suffragettes!
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Ranger: Preserved by the National Park Service
for over a century, the stories of these early park visitors live on
in the national park they helped to create. Who knows?
In another hundred years, maybe visitors will hear your story and remember
how you helped shape the future of Mount Rainier National Park.
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