ill. ; Typescript; Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 1999; Includes vita and abstract; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 385-401)
IV An Abstract of the Dissertation of Erik Lawrence Weiselberg for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History to be taken August 1999 Title: ASCENDANCY OF THE MAZAMAS; ENVIRONMENT, IDENTITY AND MOUNTAIN CLIMBING IN OREGON, 1870 TO 1930 Dr. Matthew Dennis From its formation in 1894 until the 1920s, the Mazamas maintained a monopoly as the authority on mountains and mountain climbing in the Pacific Northwest. The Mazamas, a Portland, Oregon mountaineering association consisting primarily of urban, middle-class professionals, domesticated the rugged Cascade mountains. They used the mountain environment to foster social progress, attract tourism and settlement, display nationalism and enhance their identity as aspiring experts. Although the Mazamas expressed concerns about the emerging urban society, their embrace of record-keeping, technology, expertise and nationalism enabled them to ascend to an authoritative status. Their activities on and off the mountains promoted Portland's rise to prominence and Oregon's transformation from a settler-agricultural to an urban-industrial society. Further, they contributed to the image of the Pacific Northwest as a moderate and progressive society located in a unique natural setting. Thus, the history of the Mazamas shows the ways in which Americans rationalized the V natural environment, shaped their identities, and contributed to regional definition during the period of dramatic change at the turn of the century. The first successful ascent in the Northwest occurred as early as 1853 on Mt. St. Helens, but climbing and its meaning remained obscure until the activity of William Gladstone Steel. Steel's love for the mountains of Oregon began in 1870. During a formative period in the 1880s, Steel and others promoted Crater Lake and Mt. Hood, and they formed the Oregon Alpine Club, a predecessor to the Mazamas. The Mazamas established routinized annual outings, summit registers and a journal. These structures enabled a historicization of mountain climbing and made possible a discourse on mountaineering practice, scientific study and first ascents. During the 1920s, the consensus achieved by the Mazamas was eroded by the growth of urban centers outside of Portland, advances in transportation, increased federal management and new attitudes toward the natural environment. This context forced the Mazamas to share their environment and their authority with a multiplicity of clubs and climbers. The journey of the Mazamas illuminates the story of Oregon's incorporation into modern America during the Progressive Era.
IV An Abstract of the Dissertation of Erik Lawrence Weiselberg for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History to be taken August 1999 Title: ASCENDANCY OF THE MAZAMAS; ENVIRONMENT, IDENTITY AND MOUNTAIN CLIMBING IN OREGON, 1870 TO 1930 Dr. Matthew Dennis From its formation in 1894 until the 1920s, the Mazamas maintained a monopoly as the authority on mountains and mountain climbing in the Pacific Northwest. The Mazamas, a Portland, Oregon mountaineering association consisting primarily of urban, middle-class professionals, domesticated the rugged Cascade mountains. They used the mountain environment to foster social progress, attract tourism and settlement, display nationalism and enhance their identity as aspiring experts. Although the Mazamas expressed concerns about the emerging urban society, their embrace of record-keeping, technology, expertise and nationalism enabled them to ascend to an authoritative status. Their activities on and off the mountains promoted Portland's rise to prominence and Oregon's transformation from a settler-agricultural to an urban-industrial society. Further, they contributed to the image of the Pacific Northwest as a moderate and progressive society located in a unique natural setting. Thus, the history of the Mazamas shows the ways in which Americans rationalized the V natural environment, shaped their identities, and contributed to regional definition during the period of dramatic change at the turn of the century. The first successful ascent in the Northwest occurred as early as 1853 on Mt. St. Helens, but climbing and its meaning remained obscure until the activity of William Gladstone Steel. Steel's love for the mountains of Oregon began in 1870. During a formative period in the 1880s, Steel and others promoted Crater Lake and Mt. Hood, and they formed the Oregon Alpine Club, a predecessor to the Mazamas. The Mazamas established routinized annual outings, summit registers and a journal. These structures enabled a historicization of mountain climbing and made possible a discourse on mountaineering practice, scientific study and first ascents. During the 1920s, the consensus achieved by the Mazamas was eroded by the growth of urban centers outside of Portland, advances in transportation, increased federal management and new attitudes toward the natural environment. This context forced the Mazamas to share their environment and their authority with a multiplicity of clubs and climbers. The journey of the Mazamas illuminates the story of Oregon's incorporation into modern America during the Progressive Era.