North Cascades

SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN THE NORTH CASCADES

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Over the years the North Cascades have harbored hardy individuals attempting to make the rugged mountains their home. Before the turn of the century and long before the general population of the northwest was familiar with this territory, a few miners and other individuals claimed land for homesteading along major rivers draining the North Cascades. Some were successful in establishing their homesteads but many others were not. Hardships encountered by early settlers included difficult physical access into the area, limited agricultural soils, a lack of surveyed land, and restrictions to settlement following the establishment of forest reserves by the federal government.

Despite these seemingly insurmountable challenges, individuals did make the upper Skagit River and the Stehekin River valleys their home. However, very little physical evidence remains of structures relating to this important chapter in park history. Cabins and homesteads abandoned by owners were left to deteriorate naturally. Others burned or were purposefully dismantled. The resources that remain, therefore, increase in significance because of the information they may offer .

Settlement is a significant theme within the overall context of the human history of the park and should be part of the park's interpretive program, including presentations at visitor centers and discussions in park publications.

The following resources are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places within the historic theme identified in this chapter:

GILBERT'S CABIN, an early log structure, is a fine example of dove-tailed, hewn log cabin construction, unique within the park. It is also associated with a miner and settler significant to the area's settlement and development. The cabin is presently listed on the park's List of Classified Structures (LCS).

BUCKNER HOMESTEAD AND ORCHARD represents one of the earliest homesteads in the Stehekin valley. Its evolution from a single cabin to an intricate complex of structures, paths, irrigation ditches, and fruit orchard contributes to our understanding of settlement in this wilderness area. Although the Buzzard/Buckner Cabin is presently listed in the National Register and the LCS, it is recommended that the entire complex, as defined in the Cultural Landscape Inventory: Buckner Homestead (NPS-PNRO: Summer 1984) be documented for inclusion in the National Register.

RICE RESIDENCE/RAINBOW LODGE has been determined eligible for the National Register.

The 1921 log STEHEKIN SCHOOL, with its subsequent additions, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is very likely that a new school will be built in the valley in the near future. Recommend that an appropriate long-term use be found for this building and a maintenance schedule outlined to allow for its continued use as a functional structure.

This study recommends that the ROWLAND HOMESTEAD be placed on the park's List of Classified Structures and that the park monitor and maintain the site to the degree that the ruins are stabilized. Because of its tangible remnants this site offers significant historical information. Listing on the LCS allows the NPS to consider all park actions impacting this cultural property. It is recommended that park policy on the treatment of this site, and its management as a cultural resource, be addressed in the General Management Plan for the park complex. Also, it is recommended that this early homestead be studied and recorded more thoroughly by a historical archeologist to determine the site's eligibility for the National Register as an archeological site under criterion D.

The COURTNEY CABIN is presently listed on the LCS and in the National Register as an example of an early homesteader's cabin in the Stehekin valley. For years it has been vacant. Recommend the park staff review its status and, if an appropriate use and future for the cabin can be determined, undertake the appropriate stabilization measures to assure its preservation. If a decision is made to continue to allow the cabin to deteriorate, recommend that the cabin be recorded to the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey and approval to continue a "benign neglect" policy be sought in accordance with NPS guidelines and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Because they do not meet the criteria for eligibility, this study recommends that the following structures asssociated with this theme not be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places:

MCMILLAN HOMESTEAD
WHITE PLACE