Olympic National Park, Washington - free ebook by Gunnar O. Fagerlund

olympic national park-Washington

By GUNNAR O. FAGERLUND NATURAL HISTORY HANDBOOK SERIES No. 1 WASHINGTON, D. C., 1954 (Revised 1965)...

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Administration

Olympic National Park, established on June 29, 1938, and containing about 1,400 square miles, is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The National Park System, of which this park is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and enjoyment of its people. A superintendent, whose address is 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, Wash., 98362, is in immediate charge of the park....

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America’s Natural Resources

Created in 1849, the Department of the Interior—America’s Department of Natural Resources—is concerned with the management, conservation, and development of the Nation’s water, wildlife, mineral, forest, and park and recreational resources. It also has major responsibilities for Indian and territorial affairs. As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department works to assure that nonrenewable resources are developed and used wisely, that park and recreational resources are conserved,

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The Mountains Are Formed

The present Olympic Mountains were born between 12 and 20 million years ago when western Washington was pushed up into a great range that extended from Cape Flattery southeastward to the eastern part of the State. At the same time, the land to the north and south was depressed and remains depressed today as Juan de Fuca Strait and Chehalis Valley, respectively. The Olympics were further elevated about 5 million years ago. This coincided with the building of the Cascade Mountains and the down-fol

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Glaciation

Other important geological events started about a million years ago. As the climate of the world became colder a great ice sheet formed to the north and moved down across Canada into the United States. There were periods when the climate warmed and the ice retreated. It advanced again when temperatures lowered during tens of thousands of years. The sheet moved southward at least four times during the last million years. At the same time, valley glaciers flowed out of the mountains of British Col

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The Shape of the Land Today

Knowledge of the geological history of an area enables us to better understand the shape of the land today. It will be recalled that earth movements depressed the land on the north, south, and east, leaving the Olympic Mountains standing alone, isolated from other mountains. However, they are a segment of that elongated western fringe of mountains known as the Coast Range. In all that range the Olympics are the highest; yet, for western mountains they are not high, dominating Mount Olympus being

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Glaciers Today

A glacier is an accumulation of ice large enough to move of its own weight. Mountain glaciers form at high altitudes where snowfall exceeds melting and the snow builds up annually until, largely due to its weight, the lower layers become solid ice. When the depth of this ice becomes great enough—100 feet or more—it will flow down slope and the ice is transported to lower altitudes where warmer temperatures cause the ice to melt. The glacier terminates where this melting equals the amount of ice

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Climate and the Water Cycle

Of all inorganic substances, acting in their own proper nature, and without assistance or combination, water is the most wonderful. If we think of it as the source of all the changefulness and beauty which we have seen in clouds; then as the instrument by which the earth we have contemplated was modeled into symmetry, and its crags chiseled into grace; then as, in the form of snow, it robes the mountains it has made, with that transcendent light which we could not have conceived if we had not se

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RAIN FOREST

An extraordinary forest has developed along the western slopes of the Coast Range where moisture is available in the greatest abundance. The most typical and beautiful expression of this coastwise forest is found in the western valleys and on the coastal plain of the Olympic Peninsula. It is the most luxuriant growth in any temperate climate and may properly be called a rain forest. This temperate-climate rain forest, however, is not like the rain forests of the hot, superhumid tropics. Here, th

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MOUNTAIN VEGETATION

A visit to Olympic is not complete without at least one trip into the high country. Aside from the numerous trails that lead up into the mountains, there are two high country areas that may be reached by car. These are Hurricane Ridge and Deer Park. Whether the trip is made on trail or on road, an understanding of the changing pattern of plantlife will make it more enjoyable. The climate at the top of a mountain is unlike that at the base; accordingly, the plants are different. Plant scientists

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TREES

DOUGLAS-FIR ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) gives principal distinction to the Northwest forests. Growing from sea level to 5,000 feet elevation, it is the most abundant and widespread tree on the Olympic Peninsula. Average mature trees in the virgin forests of the lowlands are 180 to 250 feet in height and 4 to 6 feet in diameter. The largest on record—14 feet 5 inches in diameter—is located in the Queets River Valley, about 3½ miles by trail from the end of the road. Next to the sequoias of Californ

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SHRUBS

SALAL ( Gaultheria shallon ) is the most common shrub in the forests of the Olympic Peninsula. Near the coast it grows 6 to 10 feet high in nearly impenetrable stands. Inland and at higher elevations up to about 3,000 feet, it is much smaller. Its evergreen, leathery leaves with finely toothed edges are easily distinguished from those of other shrubs. They are oblong and mostly 2 to 3 inches long. Urn-shaped, white to pink flowers in 1-sided racemes become black, edible berries later in summer.

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NONWOODY PLANTS

FIREWEED ( Epilobium angustifolium ). The rose-colored, spirelike, flowered tops attract attention wherever it is found. The name fireweed has been given because it comes up quickly in burned areas. It is not restricted to burned places, however, for it grows wherever there is unpreempted space in sunny locations, as along roadsides. It may be seen in flower throughout the summer, since it grows from sea level to 5,000 feet in elevation. The blooming progresses to higher elevations as the season

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YOU AND THE ANIMALS

The animals of the park are an integral part of the wilderness scene. The principal purpose for which the park was established was to preserve and display the natural wilderness. Thus, the animals are wild, living in their natural habitat. Not only must the animals and their normal habits be preserved, but their wilderness home as well. Whether the presence of man will be disturbing to the wilderness and its dwellers depends upon how humans behave in it. Any act that would tend to break down wil

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SEEING THE MAMMALS

As long as animals remain completely wild there is little danger from them. The majority of mammal species are small, rare, secretive, or nocturnal, so for these or other reasons they may not easily be seen. They will try to avoid contact with people, and your problem will be to find them and to get close enough to see them well, without disturbing them. To do this, it is necessary to study their habits and to meet them on their own terms. There is no scarcity of animals in Olympic; but the cond

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BIRDS

The snowy peaks, the mountain meadows, the forests, the lakes and streams, and the salt-water shores of the Olympic Peninsula constitute a variety of habitats for birds. The kinds of birds you can expect to see depend on where you are. In summer, there are approximately 140 species on the Olympic Peninsula. The following list includes birds most easily identified and most likely to be seen, and those of special interest. Many common birds are not included. GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH —a rose-colored

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FISH

The Olympic Peninsula is noted for its many miles of beautiful streams. This water provides an abundant world for fishes and gives joy to the fisherman. In these coastal streams the fisherman’s fishes are trout and their relatives, the salmon. Trout found in the streams include cutthroat, rainbow, brook, Dolly Varden, and steelhead. The steelhead spends the greater part of its life in the ocean, but enters fresh-water streams to reproduce. After spawning, it returns to salt water. During its lif

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OTHER ANIMAL LIFE

In addition to mammals and birds there are other animals which, though smaller and with less apparent personality, may be equally interesting. They are part of the native wild fauna of the park and are accorded the same protection as the larger forms. The few listed below are frequently seen along trails. NORTHWESTERN TOAD. This warty animal can be distinguished by the light-colored line that runs down its back. It is common on forest trails, but blends so well with the ground that it may not ea

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Pacific Coast Area

There is a detached section of the park known as the Pacific Coast Area. It is a narrow strip of land that borders the ocean for 50 miles—a scenic coastline of unusual interest. The Olympic Highway (US. 101 and Wash. 9) runs through the southern 12 miles of it, but the rest is roadless except for the road to the village of La Push. The shore is broken by many rocky points separating sandy beaches. Numerous needle rocks and small islands, having survived the abrasion of the encroaching sea, rise

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INDIANS OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA

In aboriginal times, the Olympic Peninsula was a part of the Northwest Coast cultural area, which stretched along the Pacific shoreline from northern California to Alaska. The inhabitants of this extensive region shared many cultural traits, perhaps the most distinctive of which were a keen sense of personal property and a veneration of wealth. These people did little to change their natural environment, but they showed great skill in utilizing what resources their primitive technology made avai

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EXPLORATION BY SEA

The first white men to explore the Olympic Peninsula came by sea. Spanish navigators venturing northward from Mexico may have coasted the shoreline as early as the 16th century. Juan de Fuca, said to have been a Greek pilot in the service of Spain, claimed to have entered the strait, which bears his name, in 1592, but satisfactory proof of this discovery is lacking. Extensive exploration of the Northwest Coast did not begin, however, until the latter part of the 18th century, when rumors that th

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EXPLORATION BY LAND

At the same time that maritime traders and explorers were making known the features of the coast, other adventuresome men were opening overland trails into the Northwest. By 1810, fur traders following in the wake of Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson, and Lewis and Clark were well established in the present British Columbia and in the Columbia River drainage basin. After 1821, the British-controlled Hudson’s Bay Company dominated the fur trade of the Pacific Northwest and for a number of years

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ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARK

Olympic Forest Reserve was established in 1897 by Executive order, and was surveyed during the next 3 years, by Messrs. Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon. They produced the first accurate map and gave a detailed account of the forests. Efforts to preserve the Olympic wilderness started in 1904 when Representative Francis W. Cushman introduced a bill for the establishment of Elk National Park. The bill did not pass. In 1906 and 1908, Representative William E. Humphrey introduced bills to create a

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Indians

Underhill, Ruth. Indians of the Pacific Northwest. 232 pp. Haskell Institute. Lawrence, Kansas, 1944. Complete description of the culture of the Northwest Indians....

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History

Hult, Ruby El. The Untamed Olympics. 267 pp. Binfords &amp; Mort. Portland, Oregon, 1954. History of the Olympic Peninsula from discovery to present....

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Geology

Danner, Wilber R. Geology of Olympic National Park. 68 pp. Univ. of Washington Press. Seattle, 1955. Well illustrated booklet explaining the complex geological history of the park in terms the untrained geologist can understand. Sharp, Robert P. Glaciers. 78 pp. Univ. of Oregon Press. 1960. Excellent description of the complex structure and behavior of glaciers. Provides information from current studies of Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus....

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Botany

Brockman, Frank C. Trees of Mount Rainier National Park. 49 pp. Univ. of Washington Press. Seattle, 1949. (Popular.) Excellent guide to identification of trees which also occur in Olympic National Park. Written by former chief park naturalist. Lyons, Chester P. Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in Washington. 211 pp. J. M. Dent. Vancouver, Canada, 1956. (Popular.) Well illustrated aid to identification of most of the plants in the park. Sharpe, Grant and Wenonah Sharpe. 101 Wildflowers of Olympi

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Mammals

Cahalane, Victor H. Meeting the Mammals. 133 pp. MacMillan, New York, 1943. (Popular.) A guide to the mammals of all our National Parks. Graf, William. The Roosevelt Elk. 105 pp. Port Angeles Evening News. Port Angeles, Wash., 1955. A study of the habits of the Roosevelt elk in the coast range of Oregon and California. Hubbard, Fran. Animal Friends of the Northwest. 32 pp. Awani Press. Fresno, Calif., 1957. Illustrated. Excellent for children. Newman, Coleman. The Roosevelt Elk of Olympic Nation

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Birds

Kitchin, Edward A. Birds of the Olympic Peninsula. 262 pp. Olympic Stationers. Port Angeles, Wash., 1949. A description of 261 species of birds by a naturalist who spent 50 years observing the birds of Washington. Peterson, Roger T. A Field Guide to Western Birds. 366 pp. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, 1961. An essential manual for birds of the entire West. Illustrated. Wilhelm, Eugene J., Jr. Common Birds of Olympic National Park. 54 pp. The Olympic Natural History Assoc. Port Angeles, Wash., 196

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Seashore

Guberlet, Muriel L. Animals of the Seashore. 412 pp. Metropolitan Press. Portland, Oregon, 1936. Illustrations and descriptions of 198 species. A handy reference on the seashore. Kirk, Ruth. The Olympic Seashore. 79 pp. The Olympic Natural History Assoc. Port Angeles, Wash., 1962. Guide to the human and natural history of the seashore of Olympic National Park, with maps and illustrations. Ricketts, Edward F. and Calvin, Jack. Between Pacific Tides. 502 pp. Stanford Univ. Press. Palo Alto, Calif.

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Guide Book

Kirk, Ruth. Exploring the Olympic Peninsula. 128 pp. Univ. of Washington Press, Seattle, 1964. Guide to the human and natural history of the Olympic Peninsula, including Olympic National Park. With maps and illustrations. Leissler, Frederick. Roads and Trails of Olympic National Park. 84 pp. Univ. of Washington Press. Seattle, 1957. Guide with maps; very helpful for hikers. Written by former park ranger....

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Parks in General

Butcher, Devereux. Exploring Our National Parks and Monuments. 288 pp. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, 1955. Tilden, Freeman. The National Parks—What They Mean to You and Me. 417 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. New York, 1951. A guide to the parks, monuments, and historic sites of the United States. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1965 OF—778-401 OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK High-resolution Map...

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