#suzzallo

“The voice of this Forest is the cry of Nature calling man from the common life to some of the realities of its sterner existence. It invites the tourist but warns him not to come dressed in his parlor clothes” (4).

Sometimes I spend hours searching our catalog and our stacks for a publication to share, and sometimes our patrons do that work for me. This document was left in our reshelving area and caught my eye because I love mountains, the National Park Service, and 1920s government documents, in that order. The Washington National Forest (renamed Mount Baker National Forest in 1924) extends down the western side of the Cascades mountain range from the Canadian border to the edge of Mount Rainier National Park. (Controversial opinion: I think Mt. Baker is even better than Mt. Rainier. It’s less crowded, and as a National Forest rather than a National Park, dogs are welcome.)

This guide, published in 1923, provides rules and tips for interacting with the forest and its wildlife. It also gives information on reaching the summit of Mt. Baker through various trails, as well as weather, fishing, and camping. 

United States. Forest Service. (1923). A mountain vacation land - the Washington National Forest. (Rev. ed., United States. Department of Agriculture. Dept. circular ; 132). Washington: Govt. Print. Off.

Recently @roselightfairy told me she likes it when I post pictures of Suzzallo, and it made me realize I take this place a bit for granted. I really am extraordinarily lucky to get to spend so much of my life here. I strolled around today looking at it with new eyes, and saw lots of neat things I'd never paid enough attention to before. Some are things for which the building is justly famous, and others are the less glamorous parts that only the staff ever sees.