The first settler upon the slopes of the mountain was James Longmire, "a pioneer of that old school who felt cramped for room if they had neighbors on more than one side of them." He "blazed a trail up Nisqually Valley and located a mineral claim at the very base of the mountain." It "enclosed a group of mineral springs" now known as Longmire Springs.  Longmire, his wife, and five children, were members of the first band of 47 persons, and he was one of the first to settle on the slopes of Mount Rainier.

With the establishment of Mount Rainier National Park in 1899, Longmire became park headquarters. The site had previously served as James Longmire's homestead, lodging, and mineral springs resort. Although park headquarters are no longer at Longmire, the original headquarters building houses a museum that tells the story of the early days of the park. All of Longmire is now designated a national historic district.

Credits and Sources:

“Longmire.” Mount Rainier National Park: Washington. National Park Service. Last Modified June 27, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/longmire.htm (Accessed June 1, 2015).

“Early American Exploration of Puget Sound and the Mount Rainier Region.” “Mount Rainier: Its Human History.” Field Division of Education. National Park Service. Last Modified October 1, 2001.http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/berkeley/rensch2/rensch2h.htm (Accessed June 1, 2015).