Distant vistas: Bradford Washburn, expeditionary science and landscape, 1930-1960 Item Type Thesis Authors Sfraga, Michael P. Download date 07/10/2021 13:47:12 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9503 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter free, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. 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DISTANT VISTAS: BRADFORD WASHBURN, EXPEDITIONARY SCIENCE AND LANDSCAPE 1930-1960 A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Michael P. Sfraga, B.S., M.A. Fairbanks, Alaska May 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9725098 Copyright 1997 by Sfraga, Michael P. All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9725098 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DISTANT VISTAS: BRADFORD WASHBURN, EXPEDITIONARY SCIENCE AND LANDSCAPE 1930-1960 By Michael P. Sfraga RECOMMENDED: c r ■ £ ' J ( V . & Advisoryvisory Committee Chair L Department Head APPROVED: Dean, College of Liberal Arts >.i*PUt tL of the (fradua^e School ¥ •11. ' ^ 7 Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 ABSTRACT Bradford Washburn is primarily known for his Alaskan mountaineering accomplishments and mountain photography. Between 1930 and 1960, Washburn led 19 expeditions to Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory on which he surveyed, photographed and mapped some of the last unexplored mountain regions in North America. This study, however, analyzes Washburn's lesser known role in directing interdisciplinary field research involving high altitude physics, glaciology, cartography and geology, which he accomplished by linking such disparate entities as the motion picture industry, geographic organizations, the U.S. military, and prominent U.S. scientists. Washburn's career can be viewed as an intersection of nineteenth and twentieth century geographic traditions. He combined emerging technologies with new and innovative vehicles of exploration to more accurately study geological, geographical and environmental phenomenon in mountainous regions. During the Second Great Age of Discovery, which began with the Renaissance, explorers ventured into the heart of the world's continents by utilizing various vehicles of exploration such as canoes and pack animals. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 This style continued into the middle of the twentieth century when the present day Third Great Age of Discovery, characterized by the use of remote sensing platforms and space age satellites, allows for a more accurate geographic study and inventory of our planet. Washburn's interdisciplinary field work reflects the fundamental goals and patterns of expeditionary science found in both ages of discovery. In this study three important themes are examined: Washburn's role as innovative field scientist; geography as a disciplinary bridge; and the work of the independent geographer. By analyzing Washburn's work in the pre World War Two and Cold War era, we gain an understanding of the ways in which expeditionary science was funded and carried out within two fundamentally different political and economic frameworks. Moreover, this study provides an important window into our understanding of interdisciplinary earth sciences in the mid twentieth century. It also explores the often unappreciated link between environmental science and geography in the American context. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ............................................... 7 Acknowledgements ................................ 13 Introduction ......................................... 17 Chapter 1--Acquiring the Tools of the Trade The Roots of Discovery........................... 37 A Passion for Heights............................ 45 The Mountains Take Hold .......................... 55 Chapter 2 -- "A Big Chance for Exploration" The Pathfinders.................................. 69 Persistence Abounds ............................. 82 Reading the Ice .................................. 94 A Lasting Partnership .......................... 126 A Path Now Chosen............................... 156 Chapter 3 -- America's First "Cold War" Lessons Learned ................................ 166 The "Cold War" on the Home Front ................. 182 "The Mess at Wright"............................ 204 The Smoking G u n ................................. 211 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 A House of C a r d s ............................... 220 "Unconventional Methods" ....................... 224 The Dividends Emerge ........................... 233 New Horizons................................... 238 Chapter 4 -- A Mountain of Science The Landscape of Heights........................ 242 The Mountaineers Arrive ........................ 256 Cosmic Rays and the Mountain Landscape.......... 260 From Harvard to Hollywood...................... 265 Operation White Tower .......................... 279 Mapping the Mountain Landscape ................. 288 Mr. McKinley................................... 2 97 Chapter 5 -- Epilogue and Conclusion From Sledge to Shuttle.......................... 302 Literature Cited .................................... 316 Appendix A -- Acronyms and Initialisms .............. 344 Appendix B - - Archival Sources....................... 345 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7 PREFACE Along Boston's Charles River stands a monument to the tireless efforts of countless volunteers and donors who shared in one man's vision -- a vision to create a science museum where children and adults could explore and experience the natural world. Bradford Washburn's plan for the Museum of Science began in 1939 when, at the age of 29, he assumed its directorship. Throughout the next forty-one years he carefully and purposefully transformed a quaint natural history museum into a thriving international institution of interactive and informative displays that demystify the world of science for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. I first met Bradford Washburn nearly ten years ago on a cold, damp February New England evening. Washburn, a boyhood hero of mine, had long been a giant in the world of mountaineering and his name and reputation were synonymous with the history and exploration of Mount McKinley -- North America's tallest mountain. As a young boy in Brooklyn, New York, I spent many hours on our family's front stoop immersed in the pages of Terris Moore's now classic book The Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8 Pioneer Climbs of Mount McKinley.1 The book had an indelible impact on my life; it not only opened the world of mountaineering to me, but it lured me north to Alaska, the home of Mount McKinley. At that time, I had no idea that years later I would become friends with two of the book's subjects. The author, Dr. Terris Moore, had served as president of the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1949 through 1953 and, in the 1930's and 1940's, was one of America's foremost mountaineers. I had the pleasure and honor of spending many memorable weeks in his home, sharing and recording many of his accomplishments. I will be forever grateful for his kindness and for the opportunity to tell him, prior to his death, the positive impact his book had on my life. This, of course, is not the subject of the work