• Mount Rainier peeks through clouds, viewed across subalpine wildflowers and glacial moraine.

    Mount Rainier

    National Park Washington

Archives and Collections

Early park visitors marvel at a snow bank at Paradise, with Mount Rainier in the backdrop.
Early park visitors marvel at a snow bank at Paradise, with Mount Rainier as a backdrop. Current visitors can still see similar sights at Paradise during the winter.
Historic NPS Photo
 
Mount Rainier National Park was established by an act of Congress on March 2, 1899. Since its beginning, the superintendents, staff, and concessionaires of Mount Rainier have created an irreplaceable administrative and photographic record that chronicles the history of this unique place.
These archives and images reveal a long legacy of human interaction with the natural environment. Today it serves to help us understand why certain decisions were made, policies enacted, and actions taken over the course of the park's existence.
 

The Archives
The Mount Rainier archives consist of official park records, manuscript collections, summit registers, historic images, motion picture films, and other collections. The museum archives are currently in the process of being re-catalogued. For research requests, questions, and other inquiries, please email the park's Museum Curator.

 

Did You Know?

President Taft visits Paradise in 1911.

In 1911, President William Howard Taft's touring car was the first vehicle to drive the newly-built road to Paradise.  The road was very muddy, and the car had to be pulled through the upper portion by a team of mules.  Learn more about Mount Rainier's transportation history at the following link: More...