Mt. Rainier National Park Centennial Timeline

Mt. Rainier National Park Centennial Timeline
The Thirties

Mt. Rainier Centennial Web Site

	A Battle With Depression. 1930 -1939
	1930 - A caravan of 300 cars full of press and civic leaders drive up the newly constructed road to Yakima Park (Sunrise) on July 20. The lodge and other buildings are not yet completed, but the view is magnificent. It is a prime site for public recreation and would, hopefully, reduce the crowds at Paradise and Longmire.
	1931 - The winter trail between Longmire and Paradise is maintained for the protection of the hundreds who use it for winter sports. For the first time park rangers make a complete patrol of the park boundary in the winter season. A "SnoGo" rotary plow is purchased for road maintenance by the park service.
	1932 - The Seattle Junior Chamber of Commerce hold a winter sports carnival at Paradise on April 3rd. The "SnoGo" is used to keep the road open to Canyon Rim, thus increasing the number of winter visitors. Mather Memorial Parkway is opened for summer and fall use, providing easy access from eastern Washington.
	1933 - Five Emergency Conservation Work Camps are authorized for the park. They are manned by newly recruited Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) men from various parts of the United States. Training is provided by park service personnel. The CCC use inexpensive skills to build and repair structures, campgrounds, roads and trails.
	1934 - Paradise becomes the winter playground of the Northwest. The first annual Silver Skis Championship, sponsored by the Seattle PI, brings nation-wide attention to Mount Rainier winter sports. The Community Building and a kitchen keep open for public use at Paradise to shelter those who cannot afford the RNPCo facilities.
	1935 - Paradise ski racing elevates to the national championship level. Olympic trials bring in the crowds.
	1936 - On July 30, 1936, the National Parks Association of Japan presents a stone taken from the summit of Mount Fujiyama to the American Ambassador in Tokyo, to be forwarded to Mount Rainier National Park. On October 23, 1936, the park superintendent presents a stone from the top of Mount Rainier to the Japanese Consul in Seattle.
	1937 - The park struggles to keep the road to Paradise Valley open during the winter. Bad weather cause cancellation of the Silver Skis race. An intense ice slide carries away a part of the Gibraltar Rock route to the summit that has been most popular since the historic climb of 1870.
	1938 - Although winter business has increased dramatically, the RNPCo. shows a substantial decrease in revenues. Summer income from services provided by the company often fails to meet costs. Tourist bookings decline. An increasing percent of the 382,000 visitors are camping in public campgrounds or driving to and from the park in a single day.
	1939 - Construction of a new ski lodge at Paradise begins by the National Park Service, but winter attendance decreases. The 18.2 acre Longmire family claim is purchased by the Federal Government for $30,000. As of March 1st, a fee of $1.00 for every person attempting to climb Mount Rainier is collected to help National Parks become more nearly self sustaining. Climbing clubs protest vigorously. It only lasts one year.

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