Social Class and the Production of Mountain Space: the Historical Geographies of the Seattle Mountaineers, 1906-1939
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Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Graduate School Collection WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Spring 2017 Social Class and the Production of Mountain Space: The historical geographies of the Seattle Mountaineers, 1906-1939 Thomas C. Christian Western Washington University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet Part of the Environmental Studies Commons Recommended Citation Christian, Thomas C., "Social Class and the Production of Mountain Space: The historical geographies of the Seattle Mountaineers, 1906-1939" (2017). WWU Graduate School Collection. 577. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/577 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Graduate School Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Social Class and the Production of Mountain Space: The historical geographies of the Seattle Mountaineers, 1906-1939 By Thomas C. Christian Accepted in Partial Completion of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Kathleen L. Kitto, Dean of the Graduate School ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair, Dr. David Rossiter Dr. Jennifer Seltz Dr. Kate Darby MASTER’S THESIS In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Western Washington University, I grant to Western Washington University the non- exclusive royalty-free right to archive, reproduce, distribute, and display the thesis in any and all forms, including electronic format, via any digital library mechanisms maintained by WWU. I represent and warrant this is my original work, and does not infringe or violate any rights of others. I warrant that I have obtained written permissions from the owner of any third party copyrighted material included in these files. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of this work, including but not limited to the right to use all or part of this work in future works, such as articles or books. Library users are granted permission for individual, research and non-commercial reproduction of this work for educational purposes only. Any further digital posting of this document requires specific permission from the author. Any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, is not allowed without my written permission. Signature: Thomas Christian Date: May 12, 2017 Social Class and the Production of Mountain Space: The historical geographies of the Seattle Mountaineers, 1906-1939 A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Western Washington University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Thomas C. Christian May 2017 iv ABSTRACT Spaces and landscapes are actively produced, reproduced, and contested through social practices. The ways in which spaces and landscapes are constructed matters because they define how they can be used, who may occupy them, and who cannot. This study examines the Northwest’s mountain spaces and the social class background of the Mountaineers, a Seattle-based alpine club that influenced the construction of these landscapes. From its founding in 1906, the club shaped cultural and economic geographies through summer outings, an annual journal, and skills courses. Early on, the Mountaineers produced spaces for upper class socializing and scientific study, but individual club members struggled over the meanings of these activities. In the 1930s, young club members, who were mostly men, led a cultural revolution and promoted a more physical sport and an embodied experience in the mountains, which was also increasingly part of a larger consumer culture that started to endow recreation landscapes with significant economic value. This study reveals a tension within the Mountaineers’ production of space, where the representational divide between urban spaces and mountain spaces grew wider, but in practice, the club strengthened the cultural and economic links between Seattle and the mountains. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I feel very lucky and thankful to have worked with Dr. David Rossiter for the last two years. Our weekly meetings were a highlight of my time at Western. Dave pushed me in my writing, encouraged me to read widely, and advised me to take breaks, all of which helped me complete this project and become a better scholar and geographer. I must also thank Dr. Kate Darby and Dr. Jennifer Seltz, who gave my thesis a close and critical read. Their encouragement, advice, and recommendations for further reading were much appreciated. Also, thank you to Dr. Andy Bach, Dr. Mart Stewart, Dr. Mark Neff, Dr. Nabil Kamel, Dr. Sarah Zimmerman, Dr. Pat Buckley, and Dr. Aquila Flower. Additionally, I must thank my fellow graduate students, particularly Zander Albertson, who was always willing to chat about geography, theory, politics, and mountains. He is now a close friend. My research was supported by numerous institutions including Western Washington University’s Library, the University of Washington Special Collections, and the Mountaineers archives. I also need to thank Lowell Skoog, David Conca, and Nancy Winder, who helped me in my research. Dr. Laurie Trautman from the Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) supported me financially with a research fellowship, but also broadened my graduate education and pushed me to study water governance and policy. While at BPRI, I also got to work with Dr. Don Alper. Thank you Don and Laurie. Lastly, I must thank my partner Claire, who supported me in this work over the last two years. Claire read many drafts, was always my strongest critic, and helped me improve my writing. I could not have done it without her. Thank you Claire. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................v List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ vii Map of the Six Majors .......................................................................................................... viii The Mountaineer, 1907-1939 ................................................................................................... ix Chapter One: An Introduction to the Mountaineers and Mountain Spaces ............................1 Why Study Mountain Spaces? ..............................................................................................4 The Mountaineers .................................................................................................................8 Chapter Two: Wilderness and Alpine Clubs, Social Space and Landscapes .......................14 Of Mountains and Clubs ......................................................................................................16 Investigating Mountain Clubs and Landscapes ...................................................................24 Space, Culture, and Nature ..................................................................................................33 Social Class and the Culture of Labor on the Land .............................................................39 Studying the Mountaineers ..................................................................................................47 Chapter Three: The Mountaineers and the Wilderness Nearby ..........................................49 Social Class Identity ............................................................................................................51 The First Outings .................................................................................................................56 Edmond Meany ...................................................................................................................62 Grand Scenery ......................................................................................................................65 Science and the Representation of Mountains .....................................................................69 The Production of Social Mountains ...................................................................................75 Resistance and “Hard Trail Work” ......................................................................................87 Small Group Climbing .........................................................................................................89 A Modern Sport Takes Hold ................................................................................................99 Social Class and Consumerism ..........................................................................................106 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................110 Chapter Four: The City and the Wilderness ......................................................................112 A Place Apart and Its Relationship to Urban Space ..........................................................115 Mountain Spaces ................................................................................................................118 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................122