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:

University of Washington
Suzzallo Library
University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections
Women's Studies Department
PO Box 352900
Seattle, WA 98195-2900

Contacts

Cassandra Hartnett
U.S. Documents & Women Studies Librarian
Government Publications (206) 685-3130
FAX: (206) 685-8049

Carla Rickerson
Head, Special Collections
(206) 543-1929
FAX: (206) 543-1931

Ann Lally
Head, Digital Libraries Initiative
(206) 685-1473