Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-09-10


cans who visit it in vacation time. It should nave
a good American name. change IN name, OF
course means changing the name of Mount Kal-
nier since the mountain is one-third OF the Whoie
park.
Peter the Great. on his deathbed in 1925, de-
creed that Vitus Behring, Dane in his employ,
should cross Siberia to the unknown western sea,
build two ships and search for the tabled passage
to the Atlantic. Thus came about the Russian pos
session of Alaska and of the north Pacific coast
Perez in 1873, and Haceta, in l774, both Span
iards explored the Pacific coast discovered Noot-
'ka sound and suspected the Columbia river from
the breakers on it's bar In 1777 Capt. James Cook
discovered Cooks inlet but missed both Juan de
Fucas straits and the Columbia. Capt. Robert
Means of the East India company discovered the
straits in 1888 but dared not cross the Column
bias bar
International jealousies brought about the Moot
ka Convention of 1900, which gave the British the
right to fish and trade, provided they did no colo
nizing
Then in 1892 came an American Capt. Robert
Gray of Boston, in the Columbia, the first Amer
lean ship to sail around the world C790) It took
this dauntess American sailor nine days to get
through the breakers on the Coumbias bar. He
sailed 80 miles up this noble river and named it
after his gallant ship.
That same year Capt. George Vancouver of the
British navy was sent to enforce the Nootka
vention He explored Puget sound, but baked at
tain Gray who told him of his ascent of the river.
But the British commander baked at the break
ers took possession of the country in the name
Of his sovereign and left Lieutenant Broughton
in the Chatham 10 explore the river if he could
BrOughton got into the river and assembled 100
miles by launch. He saw Mount Rainier about
100 miles away and struck with awe. Like a
true British naval officer he named this magnif-
cent mountain rising Ii, 408 feet almost from sea
level, after Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.
Mount Rainier is AZ miles from Tacoma and
81 miles from Seattle. 1t is the sight of sights
from either city. AS is well known. these two
cities have feud the name. Tacoma calls
it Tacoma and Seattle calls it Mount Rainier This
is not to say that the controversy should be de-
cded in favor of either city. But "The mountain
that was God" of the Indians of the most
impressive of EARTH should have better name
than Rainier.
Here are some random extracts from the intro
ductory pages of Uncle Sans booklet:
"Of all the fire-mountains which, like beacons,
blazed along the Pacific coast, Mount Rainier
is the noblest," wrote John Muir "The Mountain
that Was Cod" wrote John D. Williams giving
title to his book
Easily king of all is Mount Rainier wrote
f. E. Matthes of the United States geological sur
vey, reviewing that series of huge extinct voIca-
noes towering high above the sky line of the Cas-
cade range. almost $50 feet higher than Mount
Shasta its nearest rival in grandeur and in mass,
1t is OVerWnelmlngly impressive Doth by the vast
ness of its glacial mantle and by the striking
sculpture of it's cliffs The total area of its ga-
ciers amounts to no less than 4S square miles an
expanse of ice far exceeding that of any other
single peak n-the United States. Many Of its
individual ice streams between four and six
miles long and vie in magnitude and in splendor
with the most boosted glaciers of the Alps. Cas-
cading from the summit in all directions they
radiate like the arms of a great starfish.''
Seen from Tacoma or Seattle the vast mountain
appears TO rise directly from level, so insg-
nifcant seem the ridges about its base. Yet these
ridges themselves are of no mean height They
rise 5000 to 1000 feet above the valleys that cut
through them, and their crests average 5000 feet
in altitude.
But colossal are the proportions of the great
volcano that they dwarf even mountains of this
size and give them the appearance of mere foot
hills. In height it is second in the United States
only to Mount Whitney,
Mount Rainier stands, in round numbers, 1000
feet above it's immediate base, is nearly three
miles high, measured from level, and covers
100 square miles of territory one-third of the