P  H  O  T  O  G  R  A  P  H  E  R
 

WHIDBEY ISLAND  WASHINGTON  USA

 

     The following is the story of the first ascent of Mount Rainier, (Takhoma).  It is presented here as it appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1876.  The type is smeared and blotchy in places, but is mostly readable.  I wanted to preserve the look and feel of the original rather than present a typewritten copy. There are several inaccuracies in the narrative also.  Mount Rainier's elevation is 14,410 feet, not 14,444; but that isn't a bad estimate for crude instruments. Mount Baker is 10,781 feet and Hood is 11,235.  Stevens also mentions the Wenass River.  No stream rising on Mount Rainier flows eastward through the Cascades.  The closest stream by name is Wenas Creek, northwest of Yakima, 40 miles east of the mountain. Stevens presented the facts as he had them and the grandeur of Mount Rainier is not diminished by the fact that four rather than five major northwest rivers headwater on its flanks.  A few other facts: Mishell is actually spelled Mashell. Owhap is really Ohop. The summit of Mount Rainier, called Crater Peak by Stevens and Van Trump, is now named Columbia Crest, Peak Success is now Point Success, and Peak Takhoma is now Liberty Cap.  The army officer Stevens mentions on page one is doubtless General August V. Kautz, who in the 1850s, ascended high on the mountain but failed to summit.  At the time of this writing, the Cascade Mountains of Washington were still uncharted.  The geography was largely unknown.  Nevertheless it is a wonderful story, worthy of repeated reading. The literary style of the 19th Century enhances the already fascinating narrative. I have read this manuscript countless times and "live" the adventure each time.  I found this article in the Timberland Library in Chehalis, Washington, in 1980.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.