Shadow of the Past

Shadow of the Past. . , Several cabins built between 1884 and 1887, now absent, stood along the trail. This cabin, originally constructed in 1888 by Elcaine Longmire (James Longmire's eldest son), is a shadow of that past. It is the only remaining relic of an energetic enterprise by one family to establish the first settlement in what is now Mount Rainier National Park. The National Park Service maintains the cabin to preserve its original appearance., The Longmire dream was interrupted by the rise of more-modern businesses that grew around the meadow as a result of Mount Rainier's popularity as a wilderness park. This cabin stands to remind us that the James Longmire Family contributed significantly to the park's history. They were explorers, trail blazers, road builders, entrepreneurs, and mountaineers., “…Many a time, I sat, I won't say for long, on those stumps the front of the present Longmire cabin at the edge of the forest primeval, down by the iron spring. When you stand in front of this cabin in summer, you may picture in your mind's eye a barefooted kid in a calico dress, as happy and free as the squirrels in the forest.” Mary Longmire Jacobs daughter of Fleline Longmire, ca 1980, This cabin was a summer respite for Len Longmire. Shown here in his later years, Len stands in front of the cabin that he helped his father Elcaine build., In this historic photograph (circa 1904), the cabin is visible in the trees at the north end of Longmire Meadow, where you now stand.