The Great Adventure Began on March 19, 1912

Local Walk to Dupont, 1916

This is the first in a series of six articles to share the history and adventures of fellow Tacoma Mountaineers leading up to our 100th Anniversary on March 19, 2012.  And to keep everyone informed of the progress being made on the remodeling of our Clubhouse, now known as The Mountaineers, Tacoma Program Center, as this impressive project moves forward shortly.  We will also keep you apprised of Anniversary Celebration Events and Dates.

THE BEGINNING

The Tacoma Branch of the Mountaineers was formed on March 19, 1912 primarily due to the efforts of A. H. Denman, an attorney with a love for photography and the mountains.  He was assisted by John B. Flett, a botany professor, and J. Harry Weer, a wholesale grocery executive.   Fifteen members met on March 19^th and a short constitution and by-laws were adopted.  Officers were elected and committees appointed, including a local walks and a program committee for monthly meetings.

J. Harry Weer was Tacoma’s first president for nearly seven years.  He also was the first Summer Outing chairman from Tacoma when it was held at Mt. Rainier in 1915.  That year’s outing was a hike around Mt. Rainier – a route that became known as the Wonderland Trail.

Mount Rainier, 1912.  Camp at Summerland

Monthly meetings were held on the first Friday at various locations.  On Friday, June 7, 1912 Professor Flett lectured on his last summer’s trip around Mt. Tacoma (he still preferred that name to Rainer) using lantern slides.

“Local Walks” were a very active and popular focus of the new Branch.  These would often involve taking a street car or crossing The Narrows by boat.  Following are several excerpts taken from the The Mountaineer Bulletin, April 1912:

“May 12, 1912.  Take car at corner of Ninth and Commerce Streets leaving at 8:50 a.m. for American Lake; thence on foot along shore of American Lake to Lake Sequalitchew, where we lunch; thence around Lake Sequalitchew to Steilacoom; about 12 miles walking; bring lunch and cup.  Leader, Allen C. Mason”

This annual walk was known as the “violet walk”.  Participants would actually spend time gathering violets and other flowers.

“May 26, 1912.  Take steamer Crest from Municipal Dock at 9 a.m. for Gig Harbor; walk to Henderson Bay, thence to Hale’s Passage, returning by steamer Tyrus; arriving in Tacoma about 6 p.m.  Total fare 40 cents.  Walking distance 8 miles, very pretty through woods and in sight of water.  Bring lunch and cup.  Leader, Prof. John B. Flett.”

The following excerpt, documenting an outing in 1916, comes from a journal housed in the Northwest Room of the Tacoma Public Library.  Forty-eight people attended this event.

“Saturday, May 06, 1916.  Lillian Streeter, Leader

Boat to Fox Island, 1916

The party took a bus leaving the corner of 9th and Broadway at 3:10 P.M. to Titlow's Beach, connecting with a special boat leaving there at 3:45 P.M. for Miyajima Lodge on Fox Island. Me

Bonfires on the beach, music, dancing in the evening, boat races, bathing and walks around the island took up the time of the members, the return to Tacoma being made Sunday evening.  Total expense for the trip was $1.25”

The first “Tacoma Outing” in 1912 was a five-day trip for 22 mountaineers at Mt. Beljica, two and a half miles northwest of Mt. Wow, to condition those who intended to participate in the official summer outing.  New members on the summer outing were Allen C. Mason and Jessie C. Barlow.  The Summer Outing with Seattle members was July 20 to August 10, 1912.  Members took the train to Nelson Siding (about 2 miles east of Easton on I-90) and hiked cross country over Naches Pass to Summerland and Bear Gap.  They then went to Fairfax where they took the train home.

Before 1912 ended, the Tacoma Branch held a five-day winter outing at Longmire, which became an annual event.  Participants took the train to Ashford.  From Ashford to Longmire, some walked and some rode in a van.  The next day they hiked to Narada Falls and on to Paradise.  The outing was moved to Paradise in 1917, and attendance figures for 1923 show 160 present.  Those isolated treks, although halted a decade or so later for insurance reasons, were among the area’s first organized efforts to get into the mountains in winter, and they pioneered the way for snowshoeing, skiing, and winter mountaineering that would follow.

Interesting Quick Facts from October 12, 1917 Report:

Membership:  Men, 36; Women, 53; Total, 89

Out-of-Doors Activities:         Number         Attendance                  Mileage

         Local Walks                     20                     508                              218        

         Weekend Outings             2                       55                                40

         Special Outings             1                       68                                56

The Tacoma Mountaineers were off to a great start in March 1912.  Could they even begin to imagine what the future would bring and how much their Club would contribute, in the years ahead to their community?  In next month’s installment you’ll learn about the wonders of Irish Cabin and its decades of history and activities.  It was a major hub of activities for the Tacoma Mountaineers for many years.

**As a side note:  Ten years ago a grant was given to the Tacoma Public Library, Washington State Historical Society, and the Tacoma Mountaineers to digitalize many of the journals, scrapbooks, maps, and pictures that are currently stored at the Tacoma Public Library.  Please visit http://mtn.tpl.lib.wa.us/climbs/ to see much, much more of our history.  The collection is a fantastic resource and it’s easy to get lost in the stories and pictures.

**Wouldn’t it be great fun to reenact one of the great adventures listed above in 2012 in celebration of a century of outdoor activities?  Please contact Debbie Due at debdue@harbornet.com if interested.

Contributors:  Wilma Peterson, Club Historian; Helen Engle, Clubhouse Secretary; Debbie Due, Trustee