By Marshall Hammond
At first glance, the Mazamas building looks like a temple belonging to a fraternal organization with a fascination for goats. The building is actually a repository of knowledge, a home to secrets of mountaineering and a history of a fraternal organization dedicated to exploring, preserving and advocating for the mountains.
The first floor of Mazamas Mountaineering Center, 527 SE 43rd Ave., holds a large lecture hall and gymnasium complete with three climbing walls, one of which simulates ice climbing and can be hacked at with a climbing ax. The lower level of the building contains the library and archives.
The library is one of only five stand alone mountaineering libraries in the US. Its collection includes hiking and climbing manuals, guidebooks and mountaineering biographies. The archives contain much of the recorded history of the Mazamas, including institutional records, oral histories, manuscripts, films and over a million photographs. The building is also home to a large collection of artifacts, jackets, boots, pickaxes and other items, many of which are over a 100 years old.
The Mazamas were founded July 19, 1894, when a group of 196 mountain climbers, including 38 women, gathered on the summit of Mt. Hood with the intention of creating an elite mountaineering society. Among them were some of the most prominent Portlanders of the time, including William Gladstone Steel, Fay Fuller, Henry Pittock and Rodney Glisan. In 1946 the Mazamas became a non-profit organization and retains that status today.
Steel was the driving force behind the Mazamas and organized the founding of the society. He was later instrumental in getting Crater Lake designated as the sixth US National Park. Steel suggested Mt. Mazama to the US Geological Survey as a name for the volcano that contains Crater Lake.
Steel was also responsible for the original requirement that a member of the Mazamas must have summited a glacial peak. That requirement was lifted by a Board vote this January. “Now anybody who agrees with the mission of the Mazamas, which is to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains, can join the Mazamas. Pretty low bar. Really anybody can join the Mazamas,” said Mazama Board President Greg Scott.
For decades after its founding, the Mazamas were one of the preeminent mountaineering groups in the Northwest. Their expeditions and outings were a frequent feature of Oregon newspapers throughout the 1900s. On some occasions, Mazamas were called on to mount rescue operations of lost or fallen hikers.
Up until the 1970s the Mazamas conducted their own scientific research, collecting data on glaciers and flora and fauna that are still valuable to climate researchers today. They were also some of the first to fly over and photograph Oregon’s mountains in airplanes.
The Mazamas advocated for the protection of natural spaces, fighting multiple proposals to install aerial tramways in the Columbia River Gorge on Mt. Hood and other areas, and advocating against efforts to reduce the size of Olympic National Park.
Much of the Mazamas artifact collection and history will be on display from November to March at the Oregon Historical Society.
These days the Mazamas continue to lead “outings,” or trips that last five days or more, to locations across the country. The next scheduled outing is to Hawaii’s Volcano National Park in January. The Mazamas also lead shorter trips around the Northwest, including hikes, climbs and even “street rambles” through Portland. For $40, Mazamas members can summit Mt. Hood.
The Mazamas also teach classes in rock climbing, canyoneering, skiing, first aid and other wilderness related subjects and host educational presentations and events including programs for children.
The Mazamas’ Conservation Committee continues to closely monitor initiatives that impact the mountains and wilderness areas of Oregon and Washington, including a controversial gravel mining operation in the Columbia River Gorge east of Washougal, as well as the Western Oregon State Forests’ Forest Management Plan and Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act (S 1890).
The Conservation Committee recently contributed language to a position statement as part of the Green River Valley Alliance to officially oppose mining in the Mt. St. Helens area.
To learn more about the Mazamas, including how to become a Mazama, or to sign up for a class, climb, hike or outing, visit mazamas.org.
Drone photo of Mazamas building. Photo credit Mazamas.
