[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 144 (Monday, October 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2093-E2094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST ASCENT OF MT. WHITNEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 12, 1998

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to your 
attention today the 125th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt.

[[Page E2094]]

Whitney, the highest mountain peak in the continental United States at 
14,494 feet, located in California's Inyo County. Having climbed Mt. 
Whitney in 1986 with my dear friend, Hulda Crooks, I wanted to share 
some of the storied history of this majestic mountain with my 
colleagues.
  In the early 1870's, as the Owens Valley community first began to 
attract settlers, local residents often visited nearby Soda Springs to 
fish, hunt, and to escape the summer heat. In August 1873, a large 
group of Lone Pine locals were camping in this area when three of them 
decided to take a hike up to the summit. Previous attempts to climb 
this mountain had been made by Clarence King, in party with a 
California Geological Survey expedition sponsored by Josiah Whitney. 
King identified the mountain and named it ``Mount Whitney'' in 1864. He 
claimed to have reached the summit in 1871, but it was soon discovered 
that he missed the mark and accidentally climbed another peak.
  The ``Three Fishermen'' (locals Charley Begole, Johnny Lucas and Al 
Johnson) credited with Whitney's first ascent made the hike from Soda 
Springs to the summit and back in one day on August 18, 1873. They 
christened the mountain ``Fishermen's Peak,'' which touched off a 
controversy that lasted several years. The Lone Pine residents were not 
in favor of the name ``Mount Whitney,'' since they did not share a high 
opinion of Mr. Whitney. Local residents petitioned in favor of the 
names ``Fishermen's Peak,'' ``Fowler's Peak,'' or ``Dome of Inyo,'' 
anything but ``Mount Whitney,'' which is the name that stands today.
  Undaunted by the unwanted name, local residents raised funds and 
built a trail to the summit in 1904. Mr. Gustave F. Marsh of Lone Pine, 
was the engineer who led this effort. He also served as contractor and 
supervisor for the Smithsonian Institute in 1909 when the trail was 
repaired and the summit shelter was built. Local residents again 
pitched in to raise funds for this effort. As one ponders this sequence 
of events, the baffling question is, ``What motivated these early 
settlers to build a trail?'' There was not a large tourist industry in 
the area at that time; there were no automobiles; and the only people 
interested in mountaineering were college professors or researchers--
people of science and letters. The summit hut was originally financed 
by the Smithsonian for astronomical and atmospheric research purposes.
  In contrast, the early residents were largely farmers and miners. And 
yet, as the trail and hut stand today, no one really knows how many 
hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life and from all 
countries of the world have climbed to the summit of Mount Whitney. 
Without the efforts of the first settlers, would this have been the 
reality today? Also, very little has ever been mentioned of the Native 
Americans, who knew of the peak and in their world, called it ``The Old 
One,'' or ``The High One.''
  On August 18, 1998, as a tribute to these early settlers, another 
group of local residents climbed Mount Whitney to pay honor to the 
contribution that these pioneers made, and to bring recognition to 
their efforts. Several descendants of the original group still live in 
the Lone Pine area.
  I can well remember donning a backpack and sleeping bag and hitting 
the trail with Hulda Crooks, better known on the mountain as Grandma 
Whitney, in August 1986. A friendship was born over those days that has 
been among the most special and enduring of my life. Because of her 
legacy, Congress passed legislation and Hulda returned to Mt. Whitney 
in 1991 for the announcement that Crooks Peak, adjacent to the Whitney 
summit, would forever bear her name. Hulda was a mentor and teacher to 
me, personally, and remained one of my dearest friends over the years 
until her passing last November.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me and our colleagues in paying 
tribute to the men and women who have provided Mt. Whitney with its 
rich and textured history. Without any question, for every person who 
has ever climbed or tried to climb this magnificent peak, Mt. Whitney 
holds its own special memories, and its own meaningful place in their 
life.

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