Trail of the Shadows: Shadow of the Past Exhibit Panel

The Longmire Cabin preserves the legacy of the family that built Mount Rainier's first settlement.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Trail of the Shadows, Longmire

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Title: Shadow of the Past

Main Text

Several cabins built between 1884 and 1887, now absent, stood along the trail. This cabin, originally constructed in 1888 by Elcaine Longmire (James Longmire's eldest son), is a shadow of that past. It is the only remaining relic of an energetic enterprise by one family to establish the first settlement in what is now Mount Rainier National Park. The National Park Service maintains the cabin to preserve its original appearance. 

The Longmire dream was interrupted by the rise of more modern businesses that grew around the meadow as the result of Mount Rainier's popularity as a wilderness park. This cabin stands to remind us that the James Longmire Family contributed significantly to the park's history. They were explorers, trail blazers, road builders, entrepreneurs, and mountaineers.  
 

Secondary Text

"...Many a time, I sat, I won't say for long, on those stumps in front of the present Longmire cabin at the edge of the forest primeval, down by the iron spring. When you stand in front of this cabin in summer, you may picture in your mind's eye a barefooted kid in a calico dress, as happy and free as the squirrels in the forest." Mary Longmire Jacobs, daughter of Elcaine Longmire, ca. 1980

Exhibit Panel Description
A historic black and white photo of the Longmire Meadow fills the exhibit panel, with a hand-written label in the bottom right corner reading "Longmire's Springs, No 280". On the right side of the photo is the two-story wood lodge, with a fenced yard, small out buildings, and a stone well in front. Tucked amongst the trees on the left side of the photo is a small single-room cabin, highlighted by a white circle. A label next to the circle reads "In this historic photograph (circa 1904), the cabin is visible in trees at the north end of the Longmire Meadow, where you now stand." The secondary text is above the cabin, with the main text stretching across the top third of the panel on the left side. In the upper right corner of the panel, a small photo shows the front of a wood cabin with a man standing on the step next to the door. A caption reads: "This cabin was a summer respite for Len Longmire. Shown here in his later years, Len stands in front of the cabin that he helped his father Elcaine build." 

Visit This Exhibit Panel
This exhibit panel is located in Longmire along the Trail of the Shadows, a short trail that starts across the street from the National Park Inn. Longmire is open year-round.