HE MOUNTAIN THAT WAS TH BEING A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT THE GREAT PEAK WHICH THE BY JOHN H. WILLIAMS O, rarest miracle of mountain heights, Thou hast the sky for thy imperial dome, And dwell'st among the stars all days and nights, In the far heavens familiarly at home. -William Hillis Wynn: "Mt. Tacoma; an Apotheosis." TACOMA Narada Falls, 175 feet, with Eagle Peak. It has been proposed to change the name to Cushman Falls, in recognition of the late F. W. Cushman's work in Congress for the Government Road, which crosses Paradise River just above the falls. Copyright, 1910, by John H. Williams. Every summer there is demand for illustrated literature describing the mountain variously called "Rainier" or "Tacoma." Hitherto, we have had only small collections of pictures, without text, and confined to the familiar south and southwest sides. The little book which I now offer aims to show the grandest and most accessible of our extinct volcanoes from all points of view. Like the glacial rivers, its text will be found a narrow stream flowing swiftly amidst great mountain scenery. Its abundant illustrations cover not only the giants' fairyland south of the peak, but also the equally stupendous scenes that await the adventurer who penetrates the harder trails and climbs the greater glaciers of the north and east slopes. No book will ever be large enough to tell the whole story. That must be learned by summers of severe though profitable toil. The heroic features which the ice-streams have carved upon the face of Mount "Big Snow," with their fascinating "parks" and flower-fields, their silvery cascades and gray glacial torrents, are every year becoming more friendly to visitors. Each summer sees more and better trails. The capital highway built by Pierce County through the Nisqually valley to the Forest Reserve and the road made by the government engineers up to the Nisqually glacier and the Paradise country have already opened a wonderland to the automobilist. Both these roads, however, should be widened; and the government road should, by all means, be continued around the Mountain, crossing the canyons below each glacier, and winding up to the glorious table-lands above. It will be a great day for the lover of the mountains when Congress, awakening to the value of the whole Park, shall make it easy to know all the charm and inspiration of this priceless national playground. The title adopted for the book has reference, of course, to the Indian nature worship, of which something is said in the opening chapter. Both the title and a small part of the matter are reprinted from an article which I contributed last year to the New York Evening Post. Attention is called to the tangle in the names of glaciers and the need of a definitive nomenclature. As to the name of the Mountain itself, that famous bone of contention between two cities, I greatly prefer "Tacoma," one of the several authentic forms of the Indian name used by different tribes; but I believe that "Tahoma," proposed by the Rotary Club of Seattle, would be a justifiable compromise, and satisfy nearly everybody. Its adoption would free our national map from one more of its meaningless names -the name, in this case, of an undistinguished foreign naval officer whose only connection with our history is the fact that he fought against us during the American Revolution. Incidentally, it would also free me from the need of an apology for using the hybrid "Rainier - Tacoma"! The purpose of the book, however, is descriptive rather than controversial. Its plan leaves most of the story to the illustrations, with their explanatory "underlines." I have cut down the text in order to make room for the largest possible number of pictures. In selecting these, several thousand negatives and photographs have been examined. The ones used here include many noteworthy views never before shown in any publication pictures that tell a great story. Conditions met by every photographer of ice scenes make it difficult, sometimes, to obtain perfect copy for the engraver. The collection as a whole, however, is as representative as can be made till some of the glaciers shall have been more fully explored. Owing to the disproportion of cuts to text, it has not always been possible to follow a logical order in placing the illustrations; but the full descriptions given, together with the map, will aid the reader to form a clear idea of the geography of the National Park and the characteristic aspects of the peak. I shall be grateful for correction of any errors, and for information as to photographs that may add to the value of future editions. Many of the illustrations show wide reaches of wonderful country, and their details may well be studied with a reading glass. I am much indebted to the librarians and their courteous assistants at the Seattle and Tacoma public libraries; also to Prof. Flett for his interesting account of the flora of the National Park; to Mr. Eugene Ricksecker, of the United States Engineer Corps, for permission to reproduce his new map of the Park, now printed for the first time; and, most of all, to the photographers, both professional and amateur. In the table of illustrations, pages 11 to 13, credit is given the maker of each photograph. The book is sent out in the hope of promoting a wider knowledge of our country's noblest landmark. May it lead many of its readers to delightful days of recreation and adventure! |