Managing a Rustic Legacy: A Historic Landscape Study and Management Plan, Longmire Springs Historic District, Mount Rainier National Park

Schiltgen, Lora

Nearly everyone, on some occasion has felt a sense of loss due to change; returning to a place only to be disappointed to see that it has lost the qualities that made it appreciated or valued; or worse to be denied returning at all, as all familiar evidences have disappeared. Few of my generation are able to return to the homes we grew up in or the intact landscape of our childhood. It is somewhat disconcerting to observe regional distinctiveness in our country slipping away, as places become more and more alike, part of the “everywhere community”. Our patterns of “progress” thus far have been equated to discarding what is old and creating anew. The average life of a building in the US only is forty years. Certainly, many countries older than ours have had much more experience at living with and adding on to their past, as well as many more layers of past to live with. These places, richly textured and layered, hold the distinction of age that can only be attained with time. We can learn something from them but our culture and landscape is unique to us (and especially so in the West). Practices are not always transferable when different customs prevail. To be authentic we must find out own practices that are suited to our culture and context. We must seek ways in which we can continue to grow and change without losing the richness that the past can add to the present and future. Longmire Springs holds one of the most intact and extensive collections of National Parks Service rustic architecture in the West. Guided by a non-intrusive philosophy, these rustic structures were consciously designed to “seek harmony with their natural surroundings and pay homage to the past”. Rustic principles design were also extended to the landscape in the siting of buildings and roads, in vista making and screening, in the design of trails, walkways, and landscape features, and in native planting design. Though the landscape of Longmire today holds a high degree of integrity overall, it has lost much of the richness of vegetative layers and detailing it once had. In addition there are contemporary pressures and needs that raise additional questions as to appropriate actions. The landscape setting is in need of rejuvenation as much of the planting that was done in the 1920s has now grown, aged and in some cases disappeared. It is in need of restoration and repair, ongoing management and protection, in places such as the visitor plaza, a sensitive new layer of design that is woven into the past fabric. The specific goals of this project are to provide Mount Rainier National Park staff with the tools and a plan for accomplishing the above aims. First, by summarizing the history and documenting the character of Longmire this report affords recognition of Longmire’s significance and provides a foundation of information from which to continue to work from. It follows, by providing an analysis and evaluation of the existing conditions of the landscape. It proposes a preservation concept for guiding management overall. Finally it provides a program of management guidelines and recommendations for protecting, restoring and enhancing the historic quality and character of Longmire, and presents a design proposal for the rehabilitation of the visitor plaza area in particular.

Managing a Rustic Legacy: A Historic Landscape Study and Management Plan, Longmire Springs Historic District, Mount Rainier National Park

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