Olympic National Park: Four Historic Landscape Studies, Olympic National Park, National Park Service

Gilbert, Cathy; Black, Todd; Majdiak, Lisa; Scena, Diane

Four Historic Landscape Studies at Olympic National Park. Established in 1938 Olympic National park is one of the largest wilderness parks in the National Park System. Isolated on a peninsula in the northwestern portion of Washington State, rugged mountains, glaciers, dense old growth forests and water-sculpted vegetation left the area relatively remote and undeveloped for decades. Exploration into the interior valleys of the peninsula in the late 19th century unveiled abundant resources and magnificent scenery, luring not only hearty pioneers but many others seeking the particular wonders of life in such a setting. The impacts of those early settlers and the subsequent developments on the land display an attitude toward the environment evidenced in a variety of cultural landscapes scattered throughout the park. This project looks at just four of those historic landscapes. It is a preliminary look at these resources, intended to provide a data base, historic information and, where appropriate, design recommendations and guidelines for preserving a site’s landscape integrity. All four sites in this study, Lake Crescent Lodge, Headquarters, Rosemary Inn and Humes Ranch, fall into three general park themes: recreation and development; settlement and homesteading; and park administration. The project itself was conducted over a ten-week period. A team of landscape architects completed field work, historic research, generated base information (including several full size drawings), and developed guidelines and recommendations for each of the four sites. Because the time frame for the study was limited, much of the base data was documented in an inventory or catalogue format which the team developed early in the project. The catalogue includes information on location of the site, its context and site boundaries; a verbal and graphic description of landscape components that are the essential elements defining the current character of the site and a section on history, significance and site integrity. Based primarily on National Register criteria, significance and site integrity were determined by examining the site as a system of relationships between landscape elements, buildings and structures. In cases where primary landscape features were reduced to remnants or lost altogether, the site retained integrity if the spatial organization was clear enough to display those essential relationships and original design intent. From the field work the team also developed complete and accurate site maps for each landscape and, based on research and photodocumentation, developed an historic base map showing the grounds and structures from each significant era in the evolution of the site. Finally by overlaying the two maps (existing site conditions and historic base map) and considering future needs, a site design for reclaiming significant elements and preserving the historic integrity of the landscape was developed. Recommendations and guidelines for each site verbally illustrate the design and further articulate methods for safeguarding landscape remnants or historic patterns.

Olympic National Park: Four Historic Landscape Studies, Olympic National Park, National Park Service

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