1912 Mountaineers summer outing to Mount Rainier, July 20-August 10. Property of University of Washington, Special Collections Division.
The Mountaineers Collection
University of Washington
The Mountaineers is an outdoor club, founded in 1906, to promote the discovery,
conservation and documentation of the "mountains, forests and watercourses of the
Pacific Northwest." The Mountaineers Club constitution states that the object of
the organization is: "to gather into permanent form the history and traditions of
this region; to preserve, by protective legislation or otherwise, the natural beauty
of the Northwest Coast of America; to make frequent or periodical expeditions into
these regions in fulfillment of the above purposes." Henry Landes, first president
of the Mountaineers described the mission of the club as: "rendering a public service
in the battle to preserve our natural scenery from wanton destruction, and yet make
our spots of supremest beauty accessible to the largest number of mountain lovers."
There were 151 initial charter members. Over half of the members were women; four
of the women charter members were physicians. Women mountaineers constituted an
important contributing membership to the club and are very prominent in many of
the early photographs of the Mountaineers outings.
Additional information about the organization is available on University of Washington's The Mountaineers Collection website.