The 1st documented climbers of the mountain were
in 1870, and they were P.B Van Trump and Hazard Stevens, they managed to
survive, but it was a very dangerous trek. The temperatures near the summit can
reach -80 degrees F, but the temperature generated for the steam coming out of
the volcano can reach 170 degrees F. The mountain was first sighted in the late
1700s by Captain George Vancouver. He named it Mt. Rainer in honor of another
British naval officer, but it was also called Tacoma by many Indians in the area.
In the 1890s, timber companies had constructed roads into the area, and people
began trying to conserve the quickly deteriorating wilderness. Three years
later, forest reserves were put into place and efforts got underway to make the
mountain and it’s surrounding area a fifth national park. On March 2nd,
1899 President William McKinley signed the bill making it a national park.
Crutchfield, James A. It Happened in Washington. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 1999. Print.
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