Brian Mittge: Inspired by High Country history as the USA turns 250

A new year has arrived, and I’m celebrating with a fine gift from my friend, noted “history sleuth” Edna Fund. 

During a delightful New Year’s Day visit, Edna gave our family a Christmas present: the 2026 White Pass Country Historical Society Pioneer Calendar. (Pick up your own from these fine history-minded folks at www.whitepasscountrymuseum.org, 360-494-4422.)

Along with great photos from days of yore in East Lewis County, the calendar also has hundreds of dates from the memorable moments in the high country. 

I’ve been fascinated by the confluence of events big and small. 

There are weather records (19 1/2 inches of snow falling on a single day at Packwood on Feb. 15, 1990). 

Transportation milestones, like the authorization and completion of a ferry in Randle in 1900 (imagine taking a ferry to cross the Cowlitz) and major mountain passes opening up cross-Cascades travel in the 40s and 50s. On the other hand, there’s the Cora bridge that collapsed under a log truck in 1943. 

We are reminded of characters whose names live on in our geography: Mary Kiona, Billy Packwood, the Randle family. 

There is the dedication of the White Pass Ski Resort, the founding and closure of timber mills, the creation of Mount Rainier National Park and its neighboring forest reserves and wildernesses, and so much more. 

Some people find history boring or inaccessible. To me, it opens up understanding of how we got where we are today, and rich context for how we move forward. 

As we consider transportation and flooding, for example, it’s good to remember the ways that we’ve painstakingly crossed and then had to recross these rivers and byways. Or as we look at jobs and natural resources, it’s helpful to remember that preserving our forests for both logging and wilderness were choices we made and have remade over the centuries. Changes to those decisions affect people and the land. Knowing what has happened is important — along with the impacts, both foreseen and unexpected.

This is a good year to dive into this kind of historical introspection, as we look ahead to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this summer. 

My wife and I talked with Edna about her goal of finding meaningful and fun ways of marking that milestone. 

It’s exciting to think about ways to reconnect with our heritage on this epic anniversary. 

Knowing history helps us place current events in perspective. Whether we love, hate or have complicated feelings about what’s happening in Olympia or Washington, D.C., we would be wise to remember the ways our nation has dealt with big problems and divisions in the past. (Check out the national elections of 1796 and 1800, or the Civil War, for a look at divisions that help put current conflicts in context.)

I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions of how we can honor America’s 250 birthday this year. Our nation’s history is one of individuals celebrating their freedom while working together to build something bigger than any one could do alone. That’s never been a simple or easy project. But we’ve kept things going for 250 years, and we are the generation to look ahead to the next quarter millennium. Let’s do it!

January Lights

Thank you as always to everyone who put up lights for Christmas. They are a delight and a tonic for the soul during these dark days around the winter solstice. 

Now it’s time for me to re-up my humble annual request for you to keep those lights up at least until the end of January as a way to continue bringing brightness during these dark days. No need to keep up your Santa or reindeer decorations, but a few strings of sparkling LEDs will bring joy to all passers by. 

Thank you in advance for all the keepers of January Lights!

Dad Joke of the Week

This week’s joke especially warms this father’s heart, as it comes from my son during his Christmas break visit home from university.

“I asked my sheep dog how many sheep I had. He said 30. I said that I had 27...” 

Dramatic pause.

“He was rounding them up.”

Brian Mittge is a community enthusiast who has written for The Chronicle since 2000 as a reporter, editor and columnist. He can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.