Longmire Developed Area: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Mount Rainier National Park, National Park Service

Barnes, Carrie

The Longmire Developed Area is a 105 acre park development located in the southwestern portion of Mount Rainier National Park. Originally developed in 1883 as a resort by James Longmire, Longmire is Mount Rainier National Park’s oldest developed area. When the National Park Service was established in 1916, Longmire became Mount Rainier National Park’s first administrative headquarters. Between 1926 and 1944 the area was redeveloped by park planners into a rustic park village providing a destination site for park visitors, offering parking, lodging, camping and picnic facilities, comfort stations, hiking opportunities, a museum, and a general store. It was also developed as the center of park maintenance. This was the period of the greatest development by the NPS at Longmire and remains the most intact layer of historic development. Longmire Developed Area can be divided into five character areas. Each of these areas accommodates different functions and thus has a unique appearance, feeling, and organization of buildings and landscape features that reflect its function. These five character areas are the meadow, the plaza, the residential area, the maintenance area, and the campground. The meadow is a grassy wet pasture that is accessed by a looped trail called the Trail of Shadows. The meadow provides interpretive opportunities for visitors to learn the natural and cultural histories of the Longmire area. The plaza is an open, central area at the entrance to Longmire that provides visitor amenities and houses park administrative offices. The residential area is a more private area that houses permanent and seasonal park employees. Some residences have been converted to office space. The maintenance area is a paved service yard for the storage and repair of park maintenance equipment, warehouses, and offices. The campground is a densely forested area that is currently used for RV camping by Volunteers in Parks (VIPs) and tent camping by Student Conservation Association members (SCAs). The historic camping spurs, picnic areas, and looped roads are still visible. Longmire is a nationally significant historic designed landscape. It is an example of an early national park village and is an integral part of the extant early master plan for Mount Rainier National Park. The village is located within the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District (NHLD). Designated in 1997, the NHLD is nationally significant for its association with the events of early National Park Service planning (criterion A) and the design style of naturalistic landscape architecture (criterion C) perpetuated by the NPS in the period between World Wars I and II. The site is distinguished by outstanding examples of rustic architecture and features of naturalistic design. The period of significance for the Longmire spans the years 1926‑1942, reflecting the period when the NPS coordinated the design and construction of the site. The naturalistic and historic character of the site is evident in the remaining landscape characteristics: natural systems and features, spatial organization, land use, circulation, buildings and structures, small scale features, views and vistas, and vegetation. These patterns and their surviving features continue to exist as originally planned, conveying the integrity of the site as a historic park village.

Longmire Developed Area: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Mount Rainier National Park, National Park Service

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