Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project

Home

The Mountaineers Collection - Photographs
UWSpecColl, Collection 341

Note: My initial review of this collection was in August 2001. I made some copy slides a few months later. In January 2010, I returned to make additional copies and to redo some of my earlier copies. Between my first and second visits, UW reorganized the Mountaineers Collection and renumbered the boxes. I believe that some album pages were also renumbered. I have updated these notes, but not exhaustively. (See specific notes about numbering below.)

This collection consists of 126 albums (16298 prints) of Mountaineer outings between 1907-1951. Only a few albums contain winter and skiing photos. I reviewed the albums that looked promising based on the index provided by UW Special Collections. The following reviewed albums didn't contain anything noteworthy: Albums 4, 5, 9, 10, 60, 64, 66, 69, 114, 115, 120. Below, I have noted selected images only. The UW index descriptions are shown in italics.

* Albums marked with an asterisk have been photocopied for my files.

Album 7 - was previously album 5

Winter in Rainier National Park: 1916-20. Views of Paradise Inn, snowshoeing.

• p. 19: "Paradise Inn," 1919-20, Schenck. A crowd stands in front of the inn with Mt Rainier above (fine). No skiers are visible in the picture.
• p. 25: "Speed," 1919-20, Hayes. A blurred skier "takes it straight" above Paradise. Photo cracked near left edge.
• p. 33: "Reconnaisance," 1919-20, Schenck. Three snowshoers above Paradise, with the Tatoosh Range in the background (fine). This photo was published in the 1923 Mountaineer Annual (mtneer-a-1923-p63).

Album 8 * - Fairman B. Lee album

Rainier National Park: 1919. Views of Paradise Inn, summit climb. Included are 75 prints by Frank Jacobs.

• p. 6: "The Ski Tourney" (1919). Two photos of ski jumpers at Paradise. Photo #1341 depicts a jumper in action just about to leave the wooden takeoff. Photo #1342 depicts a jumper in the air, having just left the takeoff (fine). Both photos show spectators in the background.
• p. 6: "I was an Official." Photo (#1346) of Fairman B. Lee standing on snow with spectators in the background and some skis stuck in the snow.
• p. 89: Program for the "Third Annual Ski Tournament, Paradise Valley, June 29, 1919" presented by the Northwestern Ski Club. The program lists the competitors and gives special mention to Miss Olga Bolstad, Seattle, winner of the extra prize at Scenic Hot Springs, 1917, 1st prize, Paradise, 1917, and 4th prize, Paradise, 1918. The program notes, "How many of us, living here in the Great Northwest, fully realize that here in Tacoma we have the only place in the whole world, besides Finse in Norway, where a successful Ski Tournament can be held during the Summer months."

Album 11 - was previously album 9

Mt Rainier: 1919-21. Views of train station at Ashford, Paradise Inn, skiing and snowshoeing. Includes 2 photographs by Frank Jacobs.

• p. 5: Woman on long skis with two poles, snowy trees and a small cabin in the distance.
• p. 10: Woman applies climbers to skis outside Paradise Inn, snowshoers behind her.
• p. 16: Large crowd outside Paradise Inn, mostly snowshoers but a few skiers visible (fine).
• p. 19: Woman in parka with fur lined hood, on skis with two poles, Paradise Inn in the background (fine). Good view of equipment of the period.
• p. 28 (back): A crowd stands in front of Paradise inn with Mt Rainier above (UW #14688, fine). No skiers are visible in the picture. (Same photo as Album 7, p. 10.)

Album 13 * - William J. Maxwell album - was previously album 12

Mt Rainier: 1927. Documents summit attempts on Mt Rainier including the first complete climb on skis. Contains newspaper clippings.

Note: The following page numbers are no longer valid and should be used to indicate subject groupings only. The album starts with several pages of newspaper clippings:

• p. 15: "7 Dare Death to Eat Lunch Atop Rainier". The source and date of this clipping are not identified. The article describes a partial ski ascent of the White River side of Mt Rainier by Walter C. Best, Dr. Otto Strizek, Otto Giese, Andy Anderson, Lars Loveseth, W.J. Maxwell and Fred Dupuis. Best, Srizek and Giese made the summit, where they "ate their Easter lunch on top the blizzard shrouded peak." The others turned back lower. The article says that "all but the last few hundred feet" were made on skis.
• p. 16: "Mt Rainier Defeats Climbers". The source and date of this clipping are not identified. It looks like it came from a rotogravure section (probably the Seattle Times). It describes the "first attempt ever made to climb the east side of Mt. Rainier on skis while winter snows lay heavy" by W.J. Maxwell, A.W. Anderson and E. Lester LaVelle. The attempt failed at the 12,500-foot level due to blowing snow. The clipping includes three photos, one of Maxwell and LaVelle climbing on skis roped together (looking down the slope), another of the summit with blowing snow, and the third looking down the Emmons Glacier with snowy peaks in the background.
• p. 17: More newspaper clippings. "Rainier Climb Record is Set," Seattle P-I, May 4, 1927. "Ski Jumpers Scale Rainier," possibly from a paper called the Record. "Mountaineers See Crater of Rainier," Seattle Times, undated. "Mountain Climbers Go High On Rainier," from an unknown source. All the clippings describe the attempted ski ascent of Rainier by Maxwell, Anderson and LaVelle. A hand-written note gives the date of the attempt: May 2, 1927. One clipping mentions that Maxwell and Anderson, with three other members of the Mountaineers, made a previous attempt about a month earlier, reaching 9500 feet.
• p. 18: On this page are photos of a ski outing to Stampede Pass. An undated, unsourced newspaper clipping states that W.J. Maxwell entertained Mr. Erling Strom of Lake Placid, N.Y. on a two-day ski trip high on Mt Rainier. Strom was on his way home from the successful Lindley-Leik expedition to the summit of Mt McKinley.
• p. 19: Pasted next to more photos from the Stampede Pass ski outing is a clipping dated 22 April 1927, "Make Long Hike on Skiis". It describes a thirty-six mile trip on skis to the north side of Mt Rainier by W.J. Maxwell and four other Seattle Mountaineers. The party reached Camp Curtis at 9500 feet. A hand-written note says the trip was made April 1-4, 1927.

The following pages contain photos from a ski trip to the northeast side of Mt Rainier by what appears to be a party of five (including Maxwell). I believe these photos depict the April 1927 attempt described in a previous clipping.

• p. 21: "Storm at Curtis Ridge." Four skiers stand among snow covered rocks with skis planted in the snow. Peaks are visible in the background, but the view is partially obscured by wind-blown snow and clouds.
• p. 21-22, 24, 28, 29: On these pages are several photos of the skiers coaxing their cars up (or down) the snow covered White River road. Some of the photos are faded, but they depict old vehicles and equipment well.
• p. 21-22: "The Gang." Photos depict individual party members is various poses. I believe Maxwell is shown holding crossed skis on p. 21.
• p. 22: "A soft bed." Two men carrying overnight packs with sleeping bags are shown resting, flopped down on the snow with their skis still on.
• p. 23: "Roped on Interglacier." Four men on skis stand close together connected by a rather tangled arrangement of ropes.
• p. 23, 26: "On roof of cabin." Two skiers stand atop the Storbo cabin in Glacier basin with St Elmo Pass and Curtis Ridge visible above.
• p. 24: "Up the highway." Four men ski up a snow covered road or trail.
• p. 24: "At park entrance." Four men, some with skis on, some with skis off, stand next to a cabin (fine). W.J. Maxwell is the man on the right.
• p. 25: On this page are photos of four skiers ascending the Interglacier without packs. One photo looks up the Interglacier to the summit of Rainier.
• p. 26: "At park entrance." Four men stand next to a heavily loaded car next to a cabin. Faded. Several photos on pp. 26-29 depict scenes in Glacier Basin. One photo depicts Little Tahoma partially obscured by clouds and wind-blown snow, viewed from Camp Curtis.

The following pages contain photos that I believe are from the May 1927 attempt to ski Mt Rainier by Maxwell, Anderson and LaVelle, described in previous clippings.

• p. 31: Photo of a small skier holding an ice axe near the upper edge of Interglacier with Little Tahoma in the distance.
• p. 31, 33: "Up Emmons Glacier." Photos of two skiers roped together, one holding an ice axe, climbing the Emmons glacier with the summit of Rainier visible above. These photos are not identical. I believe the photo on p. 33 (renumbered p. 19) was the one published in the 1927 Mountaineer (mtneer-a-1927-p49) and in Lou Dawson's Wild Snow (dawson-1998-p65). Based on other photos I have seen, I believe that the leader (holding the ice axe) is Maxwell and the second man on the rope is LaVelle.
• p. 34: Scenic photos taken at the top of Interglacier. One looks across the Emmons at Little Tahoma. Another looks down at the summit of Ruth Mountain.
• pp. 35-36: Scenic photos taken on the Emmons Glacier. One looks up to the summit of Rainier, depicting blowing snow. Another looks down the Emmons Glacier toward the snout. These photos were published in the newspaper clipping on p. 16.

The following pages contain photos of an overnight ski trip to Camp Muir on May 29-30, 1927. Handwritten notes indicate that the party hiked 5.9 miles from Longmire to Paradise and then continued on skis the same day in fog to Camp Muir. They crawled into the Muir shelter through a window.

• p. 38: Photo of four skiers, two shaking hands, outside the winter quarters at Paradise (fine). I suspect this was taken on the return as it depicts a sunny day while another photo on this page depicts skiers at Paradise in fog.
• p. 39: "On way to Camp Muir." A trio of tired looking skiers rests on their poles in foggy weather on the Muir snowfield.
• p. 40: "Returning from Camp Muir." Three skiers, one with skis on, rest on the descent with the upper Nisqually glacier and Gilbraltar Rock visible above.
• p. 41: Photo (upper left) of three skiers outside the Muir shelter. One fiddles with his skis while the other two fiddle with the shelter window (fine).
• p. 61: Several skiers pause during an ascent of the Cowlitz Glacier.
• p. 61: Six skiers are shown in action descending the Cowlitz Glacier.

Near the back of the album is an undated, unsourced newspaper clipping: "Summit Trip Fails". It describes an attempt to climb Mt Rainier on skis via the Emmons Glacier by five Mountaineers: H.P. Wunderling, W.J. Maxwell, Langlie Slauson, Fred Dupuis and A.W. Anderson. The clipping says that the mountain had been climbed in winter only once before, "three years ago," by "two Frenchmen who made the ascent from Paradise." The article says the Mountaineer group turned back at Steamboat Prow, 9702 feet, due to a blizzard. The reference to the French climb (in 1922) suggests that the Mountaineer trip took place in 1925, but I suspect that the article is describing the April 1927 attempt mentioned in one of the previous clippings. The article concludes, "The same party will attempt the climb next year at this time and are confident of making the grade."

Album 56 - was previously album 68

Snoqualmie Lodge: Winter 1914-15.

• #11: A train of people slides on their butts in a trough through the woods with Snoqualmie Lodge visible above, 22 Feb 1915.
• #14: Snowshoe race on Lodge Lake, 22 Feb 1915 (fine).
• #2: "Walk to South Fork Snoqualmie, 2-21-15." About ten people walk in the woods through thick snow.

Album 58 - Fairman B. Lee album - was previously album 70

Snoqualmie Lodge: 1917-19. Snoqualmie Lodge, Bandana Peak climb, Kaleetan Peak.

This album has several photos in common with Album 62.

In the section "Spring Vacation Trip, Snoqualmie Lodge, March 28-31, 1918":

• p. 36: Snowshoers on Silver Peak with pristine, snowy Granite Mountain in the background (fine). This photo is labeled "R.L.G." and is the same as a photo on p. 37 of Album 62, R.L. Glisan collection.

In the section "The 'Auto' outing at Snoqualmie Lodge, Sept 10-11, 1918":

• p. 51: #994: "The Gang." Ten people stand in front of a sign that says, "Summit Inn - Altitude 3010, Chicken dinners, Fine rooms." The surroundings are primitive. An early car sits at the right edge of the photo (fine).

In the section "Washington's Birthday at Lodge, Feb 22-23, 1919":

• p. 65: "Some of those present." A large group of snowshoers stands in a clearing among snowy woods. One skier is visible in the right center of the photo ("H.W.P." photo, fine).
• p. 66: "Women's ski race." Four women on skis get set to go ("C.G.M." photo, fine).
• p. 66: "I had them on." Fairman B. Lee stands on skis next to the lodge with a man behind, snowshoes stuck in the snow around them ("R.L.G." photo, fine).
• Unlabeled photo left of #1801 (a woman). A very dynamic shot of a men's snowshoe race across Lodge Lake. The snow and the snowshoes fly (fine).
• Unlabeled photo left of #2002 (man doing headstand). Snoqualmie Lodge in summer, showing the design of the lodge to good advantage.
• Unlabeled photo of Wally Burr on skis ("K.M." photo, identification is from Kjeldsen, The Mountaineers: A History).

Album 59 - Fairman B. Lee album - was previously album 57

Various outings: 1917-22. Mt Rainier (1917, 1918, 1919, 1922), Hood Canal, Hamma Hamma River and Elk Lake (1918), Mt Hood (1919), Mt Baker (1919), Tolt River (1919). Contains newspaper clippings from various expeditions.

In the section "The Winter Trip - 1918":

• p. 3 (back), #1196: "Sally is some skier." Action photo of woman skiing at Paradise holding two poles, spraying some snow, a number of straight tracks on the slope behind, another skier visible in the background (photo is dirty).

In the section "Mt Baker, Mt Baker Club":

• Summer photo of Kulshan Cabin in the forest with two men standing on the deck (fine).

Album 61 - was previously album 58

Various outings: 1918-21. Glacier Peak (June 21-27, 1921), Paradise Valley, Mazama Ridge (1919), Snoqualmie Lodge (1919), Mt Rainier (Dec 1918-Jan 1919).

• 1920-WB-2: "The ski artist in Ollala Meadows." A woman with one pole stands on skis during 1920 Washington's Birthday outing to Snoqualmie Lodge.
• 1920-WB-5,6,7: Three-shot panorama of Snoqualmie area peaks from Silver Peak on February 22, 1920. No clearcuts are visible.
• 10-47: "Sallie." A woman with two poles walking on skis in front of snowy trees near Snoqualmie Lodge, Washington's Birthday, 1919.

Album 62 - R.L. Glisan album - was previously album 102

Various locales: March 1918, April 1920, March 1921, March 1922, Snoqualmie Lodge. Snowshoeing, winter scenes. 1932, Kitsap Lodge. 1931, Skagit River Power Plant - Diablo Lake and dam.

Snoqualmie Lodge, March 1918:

• View of Humpback Mountain and Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul railroad from Snoqualmie Lodge vicinity in late winter. No clearcuts.
• A group of people with snowshoes wait for the train at Rockdale station (fine).

April 1920:

• Snowshoers stand outside Snoqualmie Lodge, skis stuck in the snow behind them (UW #18142, fine).
• Snowshoers and skiers stand on the old railroad grade below Snoqualmie Lodge with Snoqualmie Mountain in the background (fine).
• View of lodge interior. People sit by the fireplace with skis leaning against the wall in the background.

Album 68 * - Mrs. Opal Maxwell album - was previously album 63

Various outings: 1924-26. Mt Baker, clothing, equipment, climbing, glaciers (Sept 1924), Glacier Peak (July 1925), Mt Rainier (July 1925, Jan 1926), Mt St Helens (May 1926), Mt Adams (July 1926).

• p. 16 (back): Six skiers stand side-by-side near the top of Steamboat Prow on Mt Rainier with Little Tahoma in the background. I believe this is the ski attempt in which Best, Giese and Strizek reached the summit on foot.
• p. 16 (back): A young man stands on skis with rock outcroppings and small trees in the background. The man looks like Art Winder to me. Perhaps taken near Silver Peak.

Album 70 * - W.J. Maxwell album - was previously album 110

Washington mountains: 1926. Ascent of Mt Index, Chair Peak, Mt Thompson, Denny Mtn, Wright Peak, Bryant Peak. Views of Mt Rainier, Mt Baker National Parks.

The following photos are near the back of the album:

• Four men on skis tied close together with a rope ascend Interglacier, Mt Rainier. The photographer is at the head of the line looking back (fine, a bit faded).
• "Andy." A man stands on skis in Glacier Basin, Mt Rainier, wearing a light sweater but no pack.
• Three men apply climbers to their skis in Glacier Basin with St Elmo Pass visible above (a bit faded). The trees are snowy, indicating late winter or early spring.
• Six men, including Hans Otto Giese, rest on their packs near timberline. Their skis are planted in the snow (faded).
• Five men wearing overnight packs ascend Interglacier on skis with Burrows Mountain in the background.

Album 71 * - William J. Maxwell album

Cascades: 1927. Construction of new lodge in Stampede Pass, Cascades ("Meany Ski Hut"), ski outings in Cascades.

• p. 30: Ellen Willis and Mary Dunning stand on skis near Stampede Pass with a large powerline tower in the background. Good photo of clothing and equipment. Neither skier has poles.
• p. 37: Photo of skiers on an open slope with small, scattered trees. One skiers makes a rather awkward stem turn while others climb up or observe. Part of the slope has been packed by sidestepping (fine).
• p. 39: Skiers climb an open slope with small scattered trees.
• p. 40: A skier "takes it straight" down a powdery, open slope with tracks criss-crossing it.
• p. 41: Mary Dunning stands on skis and smiles, holding two trophies.
• p. 41: Hans Grage and Hans Otto Giese shake hands, standing on skis, probably following some sort of competition.
• p. 43: W.J. Maxwell makes a telemark turn.
• p. 45: An unidentified women smiles holding two trophies.
• p. 46-48: Photos of skiers near Stampede Pass in February 1927, probably while scouting the location of the Meany Ski Hut.
• p. 49: Photo of 19 skiers and two dogs lined up across an open slope with scattered old burned trees in the background (fine).
• p. 50: Photo of Paul Shorrock standing on skis.
• p. 51: W.J. ("Wild Bill") Maxwell makes a wide-stance turn on an open slope. This photo was published in Kjeldsen, The Mountaineers: A History.
• p. 52: Giese, Ball and Anderson, winners of the first Mountaineers Patrol Race, next to the Meany Ski Hut (fine). This photo was published in Kjeldsen, The Mountaineers: A History.

Album 83 - was previously album 73

Garibaldi and Rainier: 1923. Garibaldi National Park, Mt Rainier, Paradise Inn.

I skipped all the Garibaldi photos and found the following near the back of the album:

• #1: Snowshoers and a few skiers climb a steep snowy trail through forest, the skiers carrying their skis, probably below Narada Falls.
• #26: Skier with two poles stands near Paradise with Mt Rainier above.

Lantern Slides

The Mountaineers Collection includes many lantern slides. I reviewed just a few, based on the index in U.W. Special Collections. The following were noteworthy.

Subject - Mt Rainier (index page 115):

• #27: A long line of snowshoers climb from Alta Vista toward Panorama Point in sunny weather (fine).
• #42: A party of six men and women stand on skis above Paradise. The view is across the hill toward Mazama Ridge and the skiers are close to the camera (fine). One snowshoer is visible in the distance.

Subject - Skykomish, 1913 (index page 145):

• #1: Hotel at Scenic Hot Springs viewed from a slope high above. The hotel is in a clearing in the forest and the railroad track curves next it. G.I. Gavett photo, February 22, 1913.
• #2: "Climbing to track above Scenic Hot Springs." A party of men and women on foot climbs a snow slope using alpenstocks. The slope is open with burned trees and mountains in the distance. G.I. Gavett photo, February 22, 1913.

Return to the Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project home page

Copyright © 2002 Lowell Skoog. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated: Mon Jan 25 07:54:05 PST 2010