By Kacee Saturay, WNPF Donor Stewardship and Social Media Manager
During a recent virtual field trip, Museum Curator, Sam Richert, took us through archived historical photos of North Cascades National Park, specifically the Cascade Pass area, and showcased how we can access these photo collections online.
Sam sheds light on how these photographs have become invaluable tools for preserving the North Cascades, exploring park history, and enhancing accessibility to a park that has an impressive amount of remote backcountry areas.
Digitizing these historic records highlights the importance of preserving and utilizing historical resources to connect the past, present, and future of North Cascades National Park.
Cascade Pass – one of the most visited areas in the park – holds a plethora of natural and cultural history. Sam spoke about the human record and early uses of the pass and the park as a whole. Aside from the archived images showcasing early visitation in the park, park archaeologists have been able to date human use to as early as around 9600 years ago! Local tribes have used this landscape for centuries before Euro-American settlers arrived. Read more about the indigenous people of this landscape.
The park has an extensive collection of historical photos thanks to early efforts to protect and promote tourism in the area, including the Mary Roberts Rinehart trip in 1916 and the NPS Survey Collection of 1963. At the time, the photos documented the area’s pristine beauty, yet they have remained relevant in modern times to encourage stewardship and restoration of the landscape.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by WA’s National Park Fund (@wanatlparkfund)
A post shared by WA’s National Park Fund (@wanatlparkfund)
Sam also highlighted the early conservation efforts by Joe and Margaret Miller – passionate volunteers who were pioneers in subalpine meadow revegetation in the Cascades (read more about their work in this archived North Cascades Conservation Council newsletter). The park has been working to maintain the genetic integrity of the ecosystem with the help of over 50 years of revegetation efforts and detailed records of collection and propagation. By also studying the archival images, park managers can identify native plant species and assess how vegetation patterns have evolved.
“These kinds of photos are why I work in this park… It’s just so beautiful.” – Sam Richert
Digitizing these historic photos of North Cascades was a project made possible by WNPF donors. Funds helped support an intern that worked with Sam in writing metadata and digitizing this large collection, which is made available to the public.
In the virtual field trip, Sam covered how they process these historic images and how to view the gallery online yourself. The information they provide with many of the photos is impressive; from noting who the photographer is, the types of flora and fauna in the images, and even the exact coordinates of some locations. As a wilderness park with thousands of acres of remote backcountry, these photos also serve as a unique way to see and access the beauty of this place.
The park has such a rich collection of archaeological records and by making it public, it will inspire the next generation of land stewards.
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. Donations fund scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep these parks strong and vital now and forever, for everyone.
Cover photo courtesy of National Park Service, North Cascades NPS Complex Museum Collection