North Cascades

EARLY IMPRESSIONS: EURO-AMERICAN EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS

EXPLORATIONS

Rogers Expedition (1887)

The Army's final exploration effort in this area of the North Cascades was the Backus-Goethals expedition of 1883. They explored the eastern slope, reconnoitering the upper Twisp and Methow Rivers in late summer, but probably did not pass into today's park. Although none of these military reconnaissances was successful in mapping a feasible transportation route through the mountains, the extensive data collected served to expose a wealth of geographical information.

The Great Northern Railroad fielded a reconnaissance party in the summer of 1887. Under the employ of James J. Hill, the party surveyed the upper Lake Chelan region in search of a railroad route through the mountains. The party, led by Albert Bowman Rogers had orders to locate a feasible route to Puget Sound via the Skagit River. Hill was adamant about building his rail line along the Skagit River and sent Rogers exploring numerous routes in the Cascades hoping one would lead to the Skagit drainage. Rogers kept a diary recording his exploration efforts for Hill. He traveled with his nephew Jack (Julian) G. Rogers, a man named Al, and a Lake Chelan settler, W.L. Sanders. [106]

Despite warnings from local residents and Indians that they were "a month or 6 weeks too early to cross the mountains" because of late snow cover, the four-man party set out from Wenatchee on July 6, 1887. [107] By July 9, the party had reached the mouth of Railroad Creek where they established a base camp. For the next six days Rogers and his companions examined the Railroad Creek drainage, and, finding no feasible route, returned to their camp. On July 15 the party moved on to the head of the lake and up a poorly defined trail along the Stehekin River as far as Bridge Creek. [108]

After climbing an unknown peak to view his surroundings, merely recording that the Sauk River, Bridge Creek forks (North Fork and main branch) and "mountain peaks" could be seen, Rogers retreated downvalley, returning to the head of the lake and to Chelan Rogers completed his search for a feasible railroad route through the North Cascades with a journey to the divide via the Skagit and Sauk Rivers (south of today's park). He noted in a letter addressed to Hill dated October 7, 1887:

This route leads wt [west?] to the Indian and Ward's passes-(which are only 2 miles apart)-and is the only route connecting the Skagit with the Wenatchee [River]. Besides being much longer it is no so favorable as the route via the Skykomish [which Rogers explored earlier]. .. .The avalanches on the western slope are fearful. [109]

Once again, all hope faded for a railroad route through the North Cascades.