< PreviousCASCADE LOOP SCENIC BYWAY 2. Past and Present Conditions 60 REGION 6 This region of the Cascade Loop—The Methow Valley—extends from the confluence of the Columbia River and Methow River to the North Cascades, encompassing the beautiful and scenic Methow Valley. Following SR 153 westward to SR 20 the byway meanders as it follows the Methow River and passes through several small historic towns. The Methow Valley Geography Formed as a result of ancient glacial activity, the scenic Methow Valley encompasses the Methow and Twisp Rivers and various tributary creeks and streams that flow from the eastern slopes of the Cascades through the valley to join the Columbia River. As the eastern gateway to the North Cascades, the Methow Valley is surrounded by protected forest and wilderness lands, making it a wonderland for outdoor enthusiasts seeking year-round adventure, including thousands of miles of trails. A mosaic of high mountain meadows and pasture lands surrounded by a backdrop of mountain peaks, the scenic qualities of this region are extraordinary. Native American Life The first people to inhabit the Methow Valley arrived thousands of years ago. The Methow Tribe lived in the valley, sometimes year-round. Others lived there seasonally during warmer months where they gathered and stored food for the winter, and they wintered in the warmer Columbia River Basin. Evidence of pit houses has been found at eighteen sites in the Methow Valley. Pit houses were partially excavated depressions that were covered with wooden frameworks and woven mats of grass or reeds for roofing. US Forest Service researchers also found evidence that the early inhabitants carved canoes from giant cedars that grew in the upper valley, leaving stumps of trees believed to have been about 500 years old at the time they were cut. By the early 1800s the Methow people and other tribes of the region were riding horses, which assisted their seasonal travel. They set up large temporary camps at traditional gathering places and smaller outlying camps where they obtained and processed food and other resources. The Methow Indians were a distinct tribe that fished, hunted, and gathered food throughout the valley. They fished with spears and dip nets and built weirs (fish traps) in some spots, including one just below the current site of Twisp. Summer and fall camps were occupied during hunting and gathering seasons. Similar to other tribes of the region, the population of the Methow people was severely depleted after the smallpox epidemics that began in the late 18th century. Population was said to be cut in half during the first half of the 19th century, and then depleted by half again by 1900. In 1883 there were a little over 300 Methow people. The Methow Valley was included in an area of land reserved by the federal government for Chief Moses and the Columbia River Indians. That original reservation extended from the Canadian border south to include Lake Chelan and from the crest of the Cascade Mountains on the west to the Columbia River on the east. These reservation boundaries were later changed by executive orders issued in 1883 and 1886 by presidents Chester A. Arthur and Grover Cleveland. After this, many of the remaining Methow people joined other tribes at the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.2. Past and Present ConditionsCORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN 61 Pioneers, Settlement and Community History By the mid to late 1800s, fur trappers, followed by miners and settlers came to the valley. The land was settled by ranchers, who brought cattle, sheep, and horses to graze through the warm months. Farming, ranching, and logging also became a part of the Methow Valley heritage. Inspired by the discovery of gold at nearby Brewster, prospectors came into the valley and up the tributaries of the Twisp and Methow Rivers. Mining encampments such as Gilbert at the headwaters of the Twisp River, and Squaw Creek near present day Methow, sprang up but then disappeared as prospects failed. There were few profitable mines in the region, but gold, silver, copper, and various minerals were discovered over the “mining boom” years of the 1890s. The interest and activity of the early miners and their families led to the development of towns, businesses, roads, and trails. Suppliers and stores emerged to serve the miners. In some cases, the miners stayed and became ranchers and loggers. Homesteaders intent on establishing permanent communities found the land and climate conducive to ranching, and there was a ready market for beef in the nearby mining camps as well as larger communities such as Wenatchee and by rail to Seattle. However, few regions were as isolated as the Methow Valley, which kept many potential homesteaders and settlers at bay. In the early days there were few routes leading to the valley. The Chiliwist Trail, a path used by Native Americans, became the main link between the Okanogan and Methow Valleys, but the trip between the valleys took at least two and a half days and was almost impassible by wagon due to the steepness of the route. It was not until 1905 that the state legislature proposed road construction between Pateros on the Columbia to Robinson Creek 20 miles beyond Winthrop. The Washington State Highway Department was created in 1905, and the Methow Valley road was the first highway built by the state. The road was originally completed in 1909 and paved by 1938. In the late 1880s, settlers moved to the mouth of the Methow River on the Columbia near present-day Pateros. They lived in harmony with Native Americans who lived across the Methow River and about 20 Chinese miners who discovered gold a few miles away and made homes in the hillside. The community that would become Pateros grew as settlers, miners, trappers, and cattlemen told others of the beauty of area. There was plenty of wild game as well as fish. By 1888 the area was made opened to homesteading. Around 1888-89 sternwheelers started running on the Columbia River from Wenatchee to Bridgeport on a fairly regular schedule, and were instrumental in the development of Pateros. With the first post office, the town needed a name, so it was briefly called Nera. It was then changed to Ives/Ives Landing in 1896 and finally to Pateros in 1900. Charles Ed Nosler came to Pateros with his family and single sister, Ella Nosler and renamed the community Pateros after a village he had known in the Philippines. Pateros was incorporated in 1913. The Great Northern Railroad came to the area in 1914 extending up from Wenatchee and down from Oroville. (This was the closest the railroad would come to the Methow Valley.) With the era of the railroad, the need for sternwheelers on the river faded. Pateros prospered as the surrounding agricultural industry grew. Several local apple growers grew prized varieties such as Winesaps, Jonathons, and Spitzenbergs. Packing and sorting the apples was a family affair involving the whole family, including the children, as it didn’t take long for the farmer to learn that it was quality not quantity that made money. Small farms started building storage and packing sheds right on their property. By 1913 there were approximately 1 million fruit trees planted in Okanogan County, and a reputation for quality fruit was being established. Meanwhile, up the Methow River, several towns were being settled. The Town of Twisp was established when homesteader Henry C. Glover platted a town he called Glovers- Ville. That same year a small store was established, and shortly thereafter, a post office. In 1898 Glover succeeded James Colwell as postmaster of the town, which by then was called Twisp. Although the origin of the town’s later name is not known, some have Settlers brought sheep to graze in the Methow ValleyCASCADE LOOP SCENIC BYWAY 2. Past and Present Conditions 62 speculated that it is a Native American word for wasp or yellow jacket or the sound made by a wasp. There is no evidence to support this claim. In the late 1800s, families of the Methow Tribe were still a familiar sight to the early homesteaders. Members of the tribe continued to camp in their traditional spots, including on both sides of the Methow River at its confluence with the Twisp River; in Heckendorn at the south end of present-day Winthrop; and on homesteads whose residents welcomed them and with whom they visited and traded goods. According to the book Bound for the Methow , Charlie Klinkert, who ran the salmon hatchery in Twisp in 1898, once counted 200 tepees at an encampment near the hatchery. By 1904, Twisp was considered one of the leading towns of Okanogan County. A population of miners and ranchers supported a number of local businesses, including several general stores, a doctor (who also owned a drug store), butcher shops, livery barns, a hotel, a boarding house with a billiard room, a blacksmith shop, two restaurants, a bank, a real estate office, a barber shop, two saloons, a state fish hatchery, an opera house, a weekly newspaper, and a Methodist church. Twisp was incorporated in 1909, and elected its first officers. The main issues to come before the five-member town council were stock running loose, liquor licenses for saloons, curfews, and peddlers. Electricity and the valley's first movie house came to Twisp in 1911. Winthrop, located at the confluence of the Methow River and its tributary, the Chewuch River, was another town serving miners and trappers who camped in the area, as well as ever increasing numbers of homesteaders. Easterner Guy Waring opened a trading post in Winthrop in 1892, which was incorporated as the Methow Trading Company in 1897. In 1901 Waring’s Trading Company platted the town (later incorporated in 1924). Waring took over the position of postmaster in early 1892 and angered some of the locals by requesting that the name of the town be changed to Waring. It already bore the name of Theodore Winthrop, a Yale graduate who had traveled around Washington Territory and in 1853 published the book Canoe and Saddle describing his adventures. Waring opened additional branches and trading posts at Pateros and Twisp and in several of the mining districts in the surrounding mountains. However, by 1910, he was overextended and consolidated his mercantile business at Winthrop. Waring soon built his family a larger log home, which locals dubbed “the castle” because of its prominence on a hillside overlooking the town. It now houses the Okanogan Historical Society’s Shafer Museum. Waring also established a sawmill and later a gristmill, and he opened and managed the Duck Brand Saloon, with its strict rules about hours of operation and standards of conduct, further alienated Waring from many of the locals. Waring’s Harvard classmate, Owen Wister, visited him in 1892 and 1898, and later became a best- selling author of The Virginian , the first true Western novel. Although the book was set in Wyoming, there is evidence that some of the characters and incidents in the novel were based on Wister’s experiences in Winthrop. Waring’s colorful life and the presence of the Methow Trading Company, although it ultimately failed, helped to support the survival of Winthrop in the remote Methow Valley. The area suffered its share of fires, floods, and devastating snowfalls and freezes. These events, along with the town’s remote existence, caused it to struggle off and on for decades. With completion of the North Cascades Highway in 1972, townspeople reinvented Winthrop by restoring buildings to their early frontier appearance over the next several years. The North Cascades Highway brought many visitors from the Puget Sound region. Otto Wagner, lumberman and sawmill operator, and his wife Kathryn (Kay) had proposed the idea of restoring the town’s western theme. Although Otto Wagner did not live to see the project completed, Kay carried on the dream and hired Leavenworth architect Robert Jorgensen, as well as artists and builders. Local merchants all contributed to the restoration of Winthrop, which involved meticulous research of local historic photographs and travel to see examples of other Western towns. The town’s popularity as a place to visit in the North Cascades continues nearly a half-century later. Even in winter, when the North Cascades Highway is closed, visitors are drawn by the The Wagner Mill in Twisp, an early producer of lumber2. Past and Present ConditionsCORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN 63 many recreational opportunities and spectacular scenery of the Methow Valley, along with the Old West experience of Winthrop. Farther west, at the base of the North Cascades, yet another small town sprang up in the late 19th century, originally called "Goat Creek", after a creek at the base of nearby Goat Peak (then called Goat Mountain). When a post office was secured in 1899, the settlers chose a name they thought was Greek for "mountain goat". They later discovered that they had looked in the wrong dictionary and, according to Edmond S. Meany, the meaning of "Mazama" was "mountain goat" in Spanish, not Greek. Modern Characteristics and Communities Pateros is a small but bustling scenic town on the Columbia River with a population of 667 (2010 Census) and a popular place for vacation homes given its proximity to the backcountry. Permanent and seasonal residents enjoy a myriad of nearby recreation opportunities such as backpacking, hiking, camping, rock climbing, biking, golfing, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and wildlife viewing. Visitors often make a stop in Pateros to enjoy a picnic along the river under one of the park gazebos, or large shady trees. A variety of motels and restaurants cater to travelers offering gourmet fare and local wines. Public art is on display throughout the town. The towns of the Methow Valley continue to support residents year-round while also focusing on the economic benefits of tourism and recreation. Warmer months draw visitors seeking hiking and biking trails, horseback riding, fly fishing, and other outdoor opportunities. During winter months, visitors are drawn by the region’s world-renowned cross-country ski trail system, boasting 120 miles of groomed Nordic trails. Methow Trails system is the largest cross-country trail system in North America! Vacation getaways as well as year-round homes of retirees have sprung up throughout the valley. Retirees have boosted the local economy and provide much support to the cultural life of the valley. Whether lifelong residents or newcomers, many retirees provide volunteer staffing for the museum, the library, the information center, and such annual events as the popular Methow Chamber Music Festival. Twisp is the largest town and economic hub of the valley. In recent decades, employment levels in the town have steadily eroded with the decline of the timber industry, the closure of the lumber mill, and the US Forest Service's consolidation of the Twisp and Winthrop ranger districts, vacating more than six acres of land and 17 buildings within the city limits. A Twisp Public Development Authority was formed and acquired the land in 2009. Since then TwispWorks was formed as a place for businesses, non-profit organizations, artists, craftspeople and the community to share the campus as a place to collaborate and support the local economy." Stroll through gardens, picnic on the lawn, tour artist studios, purchase goods from local producers, listen to live music, watch performers and participate in classes. Since the 1985 closure of the Wagner Mill, Twisp’s economy has relied on small-scale agriculture, small-scale manufacturing (welding, cabinet making, etc.), and tourism. With the growth of tourism and interest in the valley as a retirement destination, population and employment are now growing, along with businesses and services to meet new residents’ needs. Bicyclists and cross-country skiers have joined the hunters and snowmobilers who've been coming to the Methow Valley for decades. Twisp is also becoming a vibrant community of resident artists and nonprofit arts advocacy organizations. Public art is on display throughout Twisp and the valley, and valley artists show and sell their works in local galleries and studios. Although Twisp has the most commercial enterprises and basic services in the valley, it still is a rural place. As of the 2010 census, the population within town limits was 919. However, this population figure doesn't include the many people who live in the surrounding unincorporated area, especially in the Twisp River valley, and it doesn’t include the seasonal residents who have vacation homes in the valley. Chiliwist Trail, used by Native Americans to connect the Methow and Okanogan ValleysCASCADE LOOP SCENIC BYWAY 2. Past and Present Conditions 64 Winthrop's Main Street welcomes guests from around the world Winthrop’s population in the 2010 census was 394, and the town continues to be a popular tourist destination. Town residents and business owners work hard to maintain the western frontier character of the town. Winthrop continues to hum along within the beautiful valley that famous author Owen Wister called “a smiling country, winning the heart at sight.” Mazama, upvalley to the west, is a small unincorporated community with approximately 200 residents. Today it is an outdoor recreation destination for rock climbers, mountaineers, and Nordic skiers, along with the rest of the valley. Much of the Methow Valley is now protected land. The Lake Chelan National Recreation area (part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex) comprises much of the protected land south of the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway, and the Okanogan- Wenatchee National Forest is located to the north. The nonprofit Methow Conservancy, with headquarters in Winthrop, is dedicated to “inspiring people to care for the land of the Methow Valley” by means of conservation easements that have protected 18.3 miles of critical riparian shoreline habitat along the Methow River and its tributaries. According to the Methow Conservancy’s website, these conservation easements “help families keep their farms and ranches and protect the open space and scenic views that regularly draw tens of thousands of visitors to the Valley.” 2. Past and Present ConditionsCORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN 65 REGION 7 The North Cascades region of the Cascade Loop Scenic Highway traverses a spectacular glacial mountain landscape with breath-taking scenery on the journey out of the Methow Valley and over the rugged, high elevations of Cascade Pass, eventually descending into the Upper Skagit Valley and western foothills. North Cascades Geography Extending more than 130 miles through lands managed by the US Forest Service and National Park Service and across the steep, jagged peaks of the Cascade range, the North Cascades Scenic Highway (SR 20) is a segment of the Cascade Loop and a national and state scenic byway unto its own. SR 20 is the northernmost pass across the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. Following a route that was once almost impassable and that took months for early explorers to cross on-foot or horseback, the North Cascades Highway was completed in 1972 and enables modern travelers to drive across the mountains from spring through the fall within a few hours—between breakfast and lunch. Alpine glaciers are a defining feature of the North Cascades. Volcanic Mount Baker and Glacier Peak have the largest glaciers, but many of the smaller non-volcanic peaks are also glaciated. There are more than 300 glaciers in the North Cascades National Park Complex along with several peaks rising above 9,000 feet in elevation. The dramatic scenery results from the sharp changes in elevation with sheer walls of granite dropping thousands of feet. The mountains drop as low as 400 feet in elevation at their base along the Skagit River on the west side. The Skagit River and its tributary streams comprise the largest watershed draining into Puget Sound. Rivers and streams on the east side of the mountains drain to the Columbia River. The rugged topography, along with variations in soil types, precipitation, and exposure create a wide diversity of ecosystems from lowland forests and wetlands to high alpine and subalpine landscapes amid the glaciated peaks. These conditions result in a broad variety of habitats for plants and animals. There are 1,600 identified species in the North Cascades National Park Complex that share the diverse, expansive landscape. High mountain meadows, filled with colorful wildflowers in the warmer months, greet travelers as they ascend the pass. With high levels of precipitation in the mountains, the Cascades form a divide between the wetter west side along Puget Sound and the more arid east side. The mountains offer abundant recreation opportunities including trails for hiking and backpacking, cross-country skiing, camping, fishing, rock climbing, wildlife watching, and a variety of other outdoor adventures. Winter weather conditions and high accumulations of snow create the need to close a 37-mile segment of SR 20 over the North Cascades Pass each year from late fall/ early winter to spring. During this time, visitors can still access winter recreation opportunities all around the Cascade Loop including the Methow Valley’s many winter activities by traveling over the Cascades via SR 2 to Wenatchee, and then following US 97A to SR 153. Native American Life Native Americans have lived in and near the North Cascades for thousands of years. Forging ancient travel routes within valleys and along ridges in the mountains, prehistoric people came to the Cascades in search of animal and plant resources. CASCADE LOOP SCENIC BYWAY 2. Past and Present Conditions 66 They hunted game for food, furs, and hides to make leather goods and clothing, including deer and mountain goat. They fished at the many lakes, rivers, and streams. They gathered plants and berries for epicurean and medicinal uses (Elderberry was a favored plant) and they came to the mountains for rock and mineral resources. The gold-seekers of the 1800s were not the first miners in the Cascades. Archaeological evidence indicates that people inhabited the area at least as long as 9,600 years ago. Artifacts have been found in even the most rugged areas of North Cascades National Park. The lives of native people were closely tied to the natural environment of the North Cascades, and they learned to adapt to the severe and rapidly changing conditions in the mountains. Many of the names of places in the region (including mountains, rivers, and other landmarks) are derived from Native American language. For example, Hozomeen Mountain gets its name from the words that mean “sharp like a knife.” Other names include Sahale, Nooksack, Shuksan, Nohokomeen, Skagit, and Stehekin. The crest of the Cascades became a cultural divide that separated the peoples of the Columbia River Basin to the east from those on the west side of the mountains in the Puget Lowlands and Northwest Coast. A trade network connected the tribes on either side of the mountains, enabling the sharing of abundant resources. Tribes traveled across the mountains to trade, often following along ridge lines to avoid dense vegetation of the valleys and stream bottoms. The use of these early passages across the mountains required intimate knowledge of the terrain and landscapes. Evidence shows that Lake Chelan and Upper Skagit groups used Cascade Pass regularly as a trade route through the mountains. They called the pass “Stehekin” meaning “the way through.” The Upper Skagit people reportedly stored canoes at the head of Lake Chelan to use on their trips downlake. While crossing of the pass mainly occurred in summer and fall, when milder weather and melting snow permitted access to the high country, reports exist that the Upper Skagit people may have traversed Cascade Pass in winter en route to Lake Chelan. Tribes besides the Upper Skagit known to have lived in and near the North Cascades included the Nooksack, Chilliwack, Chelan, and others. The National Park Service regularly conducts archaeological research in the park and has documented 260 prehistoric sites. As a result of this research it is clear that the subalpine landscape of the North Cascades contributed importantly to Native American economies. Early Explorers, Fur Traders and Miners Northwest explorers seeking passage to the Pacific Ocean entered only the lower reaches of the North Cascades. Some of the first non-native people to explore the North Cascades were Euro-American fur traders who came to the wilderness on foot and by canoe in the late 1700s and early to mid 1800s. Alexander Ross, a Scottish fur trader, crossed Twisp Pass, and descended Bridge Creek to the Stehekin River, followed the river upstream to the Cascade Pass, and then traced the Cascade River downstream to its confluence with the Skagit River in 1814. This was the earliest recorded crossing of the North Cascades by a Euro-American. Maps of the Washington Territory of 1860 show large areas labeled as “unexplored” by non-natives. Fur trapping was primarily a winter activity, a difficult time to be in the mountains, yet many trappers in the 1800s were successful given the abundance of beaver, bear, cougar, wolf, lynx, fisher, marten, and fox in the North Cascades. By the mid to late 1800s, gold was discovered in the North Cascades. Lieutenant Henry Pierce, assigned to the US Army to explore the North Cascades region of Washington Territory discovered gold-bearing quartz near Eldorado Peak in 1882. Gold and silver were periodically mined from the rugged wilderness peaks of the North Cascades up to the 1950s. Gold was discovered along Ruby, Thunder, and Slate Creeks, and thousands of miners came staking hundreds of claims. However, gold was very scarce and not many struck it rich. Over the next few decades, miners turned their attention to silver and lead located higher in the mountains. Ultimately the costs of mining outweighed the value of the Upper Skagit Tribes used canoes to reach trading partners on Lake Chelan2. Past and Present ConditionsCORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN 67 resources being extracted for the most part. Not many mines were successful, with the exception of the Holden Mine, located near Lake Chelan, southwest of Stehekin. As miners continued to seek their fortunes, they also helped build wagon roads, bridges, tunnels, and cabins. Small mining camps grew into towns throughout the region. Historic archaeological sites in North Cascades National Park include not only Native American cultural sites, but also mines and mining camps, fire lookouts, sheep herder camps, sawmills, homesteads, and others. Loggers and Settlers After miners dreams were dashed by the lack of gold, many traveled into the Cascade, Skagit, and Stehekin Valleys and found other work. Many miners became loggers and worked to bring timber to the mills for local use. After clearing of a massive natural log jam that blocked the lower Skagit River in the 1870s, logs were rafted down the river to be milled at settlements downstream. In the Stehekin Valley, logs were rafted down Lake Chelan and used to make apple boxes. Commercial logging that began in the 1860s stayed primarily on the west side in low-elevation forests, and most of the lands that are now part of the North Cascades National Park Complex were never commercially logged. The most intensive logging that occurred in the North Cascades was for construction of the Skagit River hydroelectric project in the twentieth century. The lack of an adequate transportation system impeded efforts to expand logging deeper into the mountains and was also a deterrent to settlers. Roads were built up the Cascade River and along the Stehekin River, from Bridge Creek to what is now Cottonwood Camp, and beyond to Horseshoe Basin, but each winter avalanches and flooding in the high country damaged the Stehekin road. Early settlers faced many challenges in the rugged environment. After the Washington Territory opened to homesteading in 1846, it was not until the late 1870s, with the clearing of the natural logjam on the Skagit River, that settlers moved upriver. Settlement along the Stehekin River occurred later because the northeast side of the river and Lake Chelan were part of the Chief Moses Indian Reservation that was reserved for Native Americans. In 1883, the reservation was dissolved, and the land was opened for settlement. Many early settlers were shopkeepers and innkeepers who came to sell goods and services to the trappers and prospectors. Marblemount, at the confluence of the Cascade and Skagit Rivers, was established as a base for miners. The first wagon road was built into the area in 1892. 1900s History and Hydroelectric Development By the 1900s, people began to recognize that the rivers in the North Cascades had tremendous value for hydroelectric development. The David family constructed the first power plant on the Skagit River in the 1920s with a waterwheel powered by nearby Stetattle Creek. Similar wheels were used to produce electrical power along Thunder Creek and the Stehekin River. Major hydroelectric development of the Skagit River began in 1918 when Seattle City Light was issued permits to begin construction of three dams on the river. Seattle City Light eventually built a railroad up the Skagit Valley to company towns of Newhalem and Diablo built for employees of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. Diablo Dam, which was the highest dam in the world at the time at 389 feet, was completed in 1930, Ross Dam at 540 feet was completed in 1949, and Gorge Dam at 300 feet was completed in 1961. An expansive limestone deposit in the Skagit Valley became the focus of cement production that was used, among many other purposes, for hydroelectric dam construction. This is how the town of Concrete, on the west side of the mountains, came to exist. Originally platted in 1890, the town had a variety of names in the early days, but after a post office was established the town’s name was changed to Baker (in honor of Mount Baker visible from the town and the adjacent Baker River). In 1905, the Washington Portland Cement Company built a plant in Baker and created a new Fishing on the Stehekin River, 1927CASCADE LOOP SCENIC BYWAY 2. Past and Present Conditions 68 settlement across the Baker River, named “Cement City.” After the Superior Portland Cement Company was built in Baker in 1908, the two towns decided to merge and the community settled on its current name of “Concrete.” The town officially incorporated in 1909. Another town on the west side with interesting history is Rockport, located at the confluence of the Baker and Skagit Rivers. Rockport was originally homesteaded in 1885 and later named by the Great Northern Railroad in 1902 for the numerous large rocks on the Skagit River. Freight and passenger trains (mixed) hauled people, lumber, shingles, cattle, and equipment into Rockport three times a day from Burlington in the early 1900s. Heavy mining equipment came to Rockport and was then hauled by wagon and sled to the mines. Seattle City Light built a gas-powered railroad called the Skagit River Railway into Newhalem, which began to run on a temporary basis in 1920 and was later expanded with an electrified extension to Diablo. Several large ferry boats [and sternwheelers] on the Skagit River during the early 1900s ported at Rockport. Opened in 1961, Rockport State Park is home to old-growth timber, covering nearly 600 acres, which was entrusted into Washington State ownership in 1935. Today, the park is a popular place to visit to see the old growth forest, as well as for camping and hiking trails. Other towns down valley located along the Skagit River include Hamilton and Lyman. Hamilton was first settled in 1877 by William Hamilton and later was named for him when Hamilton was incorporated in 1891. Hamilton’s early industry was influenced by the coal boom of the 1870s-1890s, after coal was discovered nearby. However, the coal in the area proved to be too expensive to extract and the industry didn’t successfully develop there. Instead Hamilton residents became involved in logging and agriculture like many other small towns in the area. Lyman, named for B.L. Lyman the town’s first postmaster and officially incorporated in 1909 prospered in early days as a mill town focused on the timber industry. With the 1929 depression, the mill closed, and the population of Lyman began to decline. Agriculture became the principal industry of the town and the advent of the automobile allowed residents to remain in Lyman and commute to other towns and cities for employment (such as Sedro-Woolley and Burlington). In the 1930s, the Truman Estate in Lyman housed more than 100 workers from the US Government’s Civilian Conservation Corps, which also helped the town’s economy. Creative Inspiration The scenic beauty and tranquil setting of the North Cascades have long attracted artists, authors, poets, photographers, and other creative souls. In the 1950s, well-known poets and writers came to the North Cascades seeking the mountains as their muse. Famous author Jack Kerouac and other members of the Beat Generation spent summers caretaking fire towers on Desolation Peak and Sourdough and Crater Mountains. Their time at the fire towers brought solitude and time to write and reflect. Today, the National Park Service sponsors an Artist in Residence program at North Cascades National Park, carrying on the tradition of fostering creative inspiration in the high peaks. Establishment of North Cascades National Park On October 2, 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill to establish North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades National Park Complex now contains three park units, which are all managed as one: North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The enabling legislation for the park cited the following purposes for its establishment: • to preserve for the benefit, use, and inspiration of present and future generations certain majestic mountain scenery, snowfields, glaciers, alpine meadows, and other unique natural features in the North Cascade Mountains of the State of Washington • to provide for the public outdoor recreation use and enjoyment, and • for the conservation of the scenic, scientific, historic and other values contributing to public enjoyment of such lands and waters Today the North Cascades Highway is a destination for travelers of all kinds including cyclists and motorcyclists2. Past and Present ConditionsCORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN 69 Construction of the North Cascades Highway The North Cascades Highway was completed in 1972, the first modern road to cross the North Cascades mountains. The highway crosses two passes: Rainy Pass at 4,860 feet and Washington Pass at 5,483 feet. The highway project has a long history that started with state funding appropriated in 1895 to explore a possible route through the mountains. After surveying possible routes in the Upper Skagit Valley, the Cascade Pass route was selected, and in 1897 a road up the Cascade River was roughed out as far as Gilbert Landre’s cabin. Although the wagon road never went any farther, it was shown on maps as State Highway #1 or the Cascade Wagon Road. It was several decades later when the state appropriated funds to build a highway from Diablo to Thunder Arm in 1958 and to improve access roads on both sides of the mountains. Construction began in 1959. Near the time North Cascades National Park was established, a study envisioned a new road as a scenic highway across the pass. By September 1968, a rough pioneer road was completed and hundreds of four-wheel-drive vehicles formed a caravan to make the first crossing and celebrate at the summit of Rainy Pass. On September 2, 1972, the North Cascades Highway officially opened. Modern Characteristics and Communities Much of the land along either side of SR 20 in the North Cascades is now federally protected and managed by either the National Park Service (as part of the North Cascades National Park Complex) or the US Forest Service (as part of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest). Descending from the high mountains on the west side, the byway approaches several small, historic towns, including Newhalem, Marblemount, Rockport, and Concrete. All of these towns are popular stops for North Cascades visitors. Newhalem is home to North Cascades National Park Complex offices and attracts visitors interested in touring the historic town, Diablo Dam, and Diablo Lake. Nearby Colonial Creek campground and access to backcountry hiking and climbing are also significant attractions. Further down valley, the quiet towns of Hamilton and Lyman along the Skagit River serve as bedroom communities for surrounding larger cities, as well as home to many retirees. Both towns have interesting history and main streets to explore. The population levels of these towns as of the 2010 census were: Newhalem 300 (approximate), Marblemount 203, Rockport 109, Concrete 705, Hamilton 301, and Lyman 438. Diablo Lake and Diablo Dam in the eveningNext >