THE OLYMPIANS
On September 29, 1920, A meeting was called by Frank Lamb for the purpose of forming a hiking club. At this meeting Frank Lamb was elected chairman.
Some years before a similar organization was attempted and the name "Olympians" was suggested. This was the name that was adopted for the new organization.
The first official club meeting was held on October 27, 1920. A board of seven directors was elected. The constitution, as adopted at the organizational meeting, was read and ordered placed on file. Thirty-six member applications were voted in and classified as charter members. Oscar Lovgren was appointed Local Walks Committee Leader.
The first board of directors voted in the following officers: Frank Lamb - President; Oscar Lovgren - Vice President; Howard Oakland - Treasurer; Agnes Johnson - Secretary. The remaining directors were: K.C. Berg; Hugo Nelson; and Mrs. Walter Slade.
On November 7, 1920, the first Olympian hike was held. Mr. Lovgren led the group of eighteen along the railroad through Hoquiam. Then by trail to the vicinity of the present Emerson school, and over the hill to the Little Hoquiam River.
The first Olympians summer outing was held August 5 thru 17, 1921. Twelve hikers and five pack horses started from Lake Quinault climbed Finley Ridge to the Three Lakes area. They went on to establish a base camp at Promise Creek Divide. These first Olympians climbed Mt. Olympus middle peak. This was four days from base camp via Queets Basin, Humes Glacier, Blizzard Pass and Glacier Pass.
From 1920 to 1935 the club grew from thirty-six members to about one hundred. The hikes committee was sending out announcements on penny post cards. The Olympians had two more extended summer outings: the Elwha Basin with Mt. Olympus climbs in 1926 and 1934, and a Low Divide outing.
On March 22, 1935 the directors signed the Articles of Agreement and Incorporation, with no restrictions on where members may live. The club was now "Olympians Inc.". The club objectives in part are to maintain a social; and outdoor club, to foster and encourage the love of nature, to cultivate the recreational opportunities of the Olympic Peninsula, to encourage the building of trails, to foster legislation toward the preservation of the regions natural beauties and to conduct social gatherings and hikes.
In 1935, our club helped organize The Federation Of Western Outdoor Clubs. Olympian members Judge Loomis and Matt Mathias composed the Federations bylaws. We became a charter member and are still currently a member.
A new industry, the Oyster industry, got started on the Harbor. That year the Olympians initiated their first annual Oyster Feed.
The first Glacier Meadow outing started an annual event uninterrupted until the present. the week long Summer outing: Seven Lakes Basin - 1941; Martins Park - 1942; Seattle Creek Basin - 1943; Enchanted Valley - 1944; High Divide - 1945; royal Basin - 1946; Marmot Pass - 1947; Obstruction Point - 1948; and the list of familiar places goes on!
In the early forties, activities slowed down because of the war. At the 1942 Olympian annual meeting the club honored the twenty-two members in the military service. These members, twenty one men and one woman were scattered all over the world. After the war, and through the rest of the forties, the club membership remained at around 130 members.
At the 1959 annual meeting a resolution was passed to name a peak after the late Matt Mathias. Matt was a avid promoter of the Olympians, The Olympic Peninsula and hiking. He was a prominent Grays Harbor figure and head of the Chamber of Commerce. Matt was very active early Olympian and popular for his fireside story telling. Through a lot of correspondence form Bob Pearson and Oiva Knute to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, and the hassle with public hearings, the club was finally successful. The high narrow ridge between the Hoh Glacier and Blue Glacier had some unnamed and unclimbed peaks. A 7168 foot peak on that ridge and separated from Mt. Olympus was acceptable to the Board of Geographic Names.
On July 22, 1961 a group of 22 Olympians headed for Glacier Meadows to spend the week getting a summit register up on the now official Mt. Mathias. After four days of route finding and a little rope work, three members made it to the top. On July 28, 1961, Carl Granberg - president, Oiva Knute - outing leader and Gordon Cotey read the dedication which follows (in part):
"Today we dedicate a mountain, and in honor of an Olympian, we name it 'Mount Mathias', in honoring him, we are in a certain sense honoring ourselves. For the bond between us was a mutual zeal in the promotion of those things for which the Olympians stand. He will walk with us no more, but often we will tread with him the mellow paths of memory and we will share with one another the things he shared with us."
The solid cast metal summit register placed on top was made by Olympian Ralph Carlson. Cast into the lid is the inscription: "Olympians, Mt. Mathias, El. 7168".
In 1968 the Olympians had over 200 members, a steady growth from about 100 in the thirty-four years since 1934. In the late sixties, the membership was between 235 and 245. It has remained at about that level until the present. In 1971, the club began having two summer outings. There were a couple of reasons. The backpackers wanted to get into the more remote areas that horses couldn't reach and it took longer than a weekend. In the past, the outings were very popular, and large groups of Olympians participated, sometimes from 25 to 35 people. Then the park service started restriction group sizes to twelve or less in the high country. From this time forward the club began having an annual backpackers outing and a horsepack outing.
The Olympian have been active in working towards nature conservation and the means to enjoy nature, especially in the Olympic Mountains. The clubs enthusiastic chairperson, Anne Moisanen, while working with "Friends of the Olympics Shelters", was asked if the Olympians might be interested in maintaining the Enchanted Valley Chalet. The conservation made the proposal to the membership at the 1981 annual meeting and the project was approved.
Over the years many Olympians have used the chalet, and did not want to see the park tear it down, as they were planning. Roy Knack, a long time member had built part of the building in 1930, over fifty years ago! much needed repaired. The four rotten logs, the chimney was disintegrating and there were several broken windows. Much money and labor would be needed.
As a start, Anne had the Olympians collecting aluminum cans on out likes. (Winter hikes were especially profitable along logging roads). Anne has collected or supervised the collecting of 6287 pounds of aluminum cans, that's almost 200,000 cans! As of October 1995 that amounts to $1890.80. Bryn Beorse, a member of the conservation committee works in the newspaper business and was responsible for much donation money. He got the plight of the chalet out on a national news service. Donations started coming in from all over the United States.
On June 7, 1983 the Olympic National Park service requirements were met and the work could actually start. Roy Knack again began rebuilding the windows he had made over 53 years earlier. Now, after nineteen helicopter flights, many fund raising events and three summers of volunteer work, the old log chalet will not be torn down. It is now listed in the national register of historic buildings.
Mountain climbing has always been a part of the clubs activities. In July 1986, the Olympians scheduled a week long outing specifically for climbers. That week was spent in the Mt. Olympus area. Since that year there has been, in addition to the backpack outing and the horsepack outing, an annual climbers outing.
Compiled by Gordon Cotey,
From bits and pieces of old Olympian annuals.
OLD BLACK MARIAR
( The Olympians' coffee bucket )
by F.W. (Judge) Loomis
How dear to my heart are the scenes of the trail
When fond recollection presents them to view,
The mountains so rugged, the blossoms so frail,
And every loved spot I in memory renew,
The deep tangled wildwood, so calm,
The silence that soothes, like balm,
The lazy soft clouds, the gay romping stream,
The shadows, the slopes, and summits that gleam,
And e'en the rude bucket which hangs by the fire,
So fondly we dubbed her, "Old Black Mariar",
The dented old pan, the battered old can,
Our dear old Mariar, that swings by the fire.
I have stood where the lilacs were heavy with bloom;
In orchards that rained with the petals of June;
A maiden spoke love as she murmured my name,
She lied as she sighed, but 'twas sweet just the same;
There are some who will call for women and wine,
But please, give me java for mine,
With a lase who can trill and master a hill,
And keep smiling still as she brews with good will
In Old Black Mariar that hangs by the fire,
The dented old pan, the battered old can,
Our dear Old Mariar, that swings by the fire.
How often, when fagged with a hard day of toiling,
With gladness, I have heard the dear blessed word,
Take a look--the water, I think,is now boiling.
No longer is rest and relaxing deferred,
For shortly there flows more sweet than the rose,
The rich ambrosial amber so dear,
The beverage of friendship and warm loyal cheer.
Twixt heaven and hell, I know of no smell
I love half so well
As comes from Mariar, that hangs by the fire,
The dented old pan, the battered old can,
Our dear Old Mariar, that swings by the fire.
Let the gulls as they flee, spread the dead of the sea,
Let the ravens get sore and croak: "Never more."
As I long for the paths and the hours that were free,
And a flickering fire whose dance with the shadows is e'er.
But I'll look ahead--goodbye to the dead.
So long as my legs will carry me there,
I'll meet you and greet you by the camp's ruddy glare,
Where the night winds are singing and wool socks are drying,
And good fragrant bacon is frying,
And Old Black Mariar still hangs by the fire,
The dented old pan, the battered old can,
Our dear Old Mariar, that swings by the fire.
1961
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