My Day 34 – Jeep Expedition – Mt. Rainier, Washington

 Mt. Rainier

The old site of the Mineral Springs, Longmire

Subject:  My Day 34 – Jeep Expedition – Mt. Rainier, Washington 

After the turn of the century the automobile ruled and people just wanted to take it everywhere as much as they still do today.  So, the park service was faced with a new dilemma; should Americans driving automobiles be allowed to drive in national parks?  Would specially designed 4X4 jeep road crawlers and their drivers spoil the park experience for other drivers driving ordinary automobiles?  This was but one dilemma that the park service faced back then. 

So, in 1907 an experiment was tried.  Let the drivers who pay a $5.00 entry fee enter the park.  Mt. Rainier became the first park to allow drivers entry and Mr. Will Sanders on July 24, 1908 became the first driver to pay his $5.00.  Will received permit number one (1) for the privilege to drive his Model A Ford automobile into Mt. Rainier.   Today, Tim and I drove the red 4X4 jeep from one end of the park to the other because Tim knows everyone and because he was conducting park service business.  While he conducted business I took a walking tour of the site that had previously served as James Longmire's homestead, lodging, and mineral springs resort. Although park headquarters are no longer at Longmire, the original headquarters building houses a museum that tells the story of the early days of the park. All of Longmire is now designated a national historic district.

Another historic fact is that it wasn’t until 1929 before the park began to provide gas and other services to the then growing auto tourists visiting the park.      

See you on the mountain! 

Trawlercat