Booker Mountain

Located in the North Cascades of Washington

Booker Mountain

Location in Washington

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Booker Mountain

Booker Mountain (the United States)

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LocationNorth Cascades National Park
Chelan, Washington, United StatesParent rangeNorth CascadesTopo mapUSGS Goode MountainClimbingFirst ascentAugust 22, 1964 by Dan Davis and John Holland^[1]

Booker Mountain, also known as Mount Booker, with an elevation of 8,284 feet (2,525 m), is located in the North Cascades of Washington, about 1.5 miles SE of Mount Buckner, between Park Creek and Stehekin River.^[1] It is named in honor of Booker T. Washington.

History

Landscape painter Abby Williams Hill, of Tacoma, Washington, was contracted by the Great Northern Railway Company to paint pictures of the North Cascades, and she first painted Mount Booker in 1903.^[3] At the time of Hill's painting, the mountain had not yet been named; newspaper critics called it "No-name mountain."^[3]

Abby Hill wrote to the National Geological Survey to determine the mountain's name, and the agency offered her the opportunity to name it.^[4] She had previously traveled to visit Booker T. Washington (d. 1915), and she attended his lectures in Tuskegee, Alabama, in the fall of 1901. She was also very moved by her experiences with Jim Crow laws in the South, as well as by Washington's lectures.^[4] As a result, Abby Hill named the mountain in honor of Booker T. Washington.^[3]

Climbing history

The first ascent of the Northeast Face of Mount Booker was completed by Dan Davis and John Holland on August 22, 1964.^[1]

Geology

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area.

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch.^[5] With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted.^[5] In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.^[5]

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.^[5] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

Gallery

Southeast aspect
West aspect of Booker Mountain, from Sahale Arm

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Beckey, Fred (2003). Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass. The Mountaineers Books. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-89886-838-8. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
^ "Booker Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
^ ^a ^b ^c The Washington Historical Quarterly, The Washington University State Historical Society, 1920, pg 212
^ ^a ^b Fields, Ronald (1989). Abby Williams Hill and the lure of the West (1st ed.). Washington State Historical Society. pp. 44–47. ISBN 9780917048630.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.