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FiveNines Member
Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Posts: 522 | TRs | Pics
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Beckey mentions Cady Pass a few times in Range of Glaciers
"Either HBC trappers or Indians were familiar with the Little Wenatchee River between 1814 and 1840, for there was a blazed trail following an old route over Cady Pass to the Skykomish River drainage." [pg63] citing Hull, Lindley M. A History of Central Washington, 1929.
He also writes of Chelan and Snohomish counties favoring a wagon road over Cady Pass in 1913, ultimately rejected in favor of more direct routing over Stevens Pass.
There are probably mentions of railroad surveys for Cady Pass, too. But I was too lazy to look them up.
Range of Glaciers is a tuff read for me, even as a reference. A great resource, but so dense with information dispersed in small nuggets throughout the book. His list of references and source notes is a treasure in itself.
I was lucky enuff to help a friend logout Cady Creek / Ridge loop almost 20 years ago. We looped clockwise up the creek and down the ridge, camping on the Crest on a high point above Lake Sally Anne. One of my introductory trips into the Cascades. Good memories.
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altersego Member
Joined: 22 Jun 2015 Posts: 77 | TRs | Pics
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The "Dishpan Gap Loop" trail description in the Mountaineers "Backpacking WA" book also mentions that Cady Pass was considered for the road. The loop described is very outdated: it says there are campsites at Cady Pass (maybe if you camp directly on the trail) and sites along the N Fork Skykomish (obliterated by an avalanche in 2014).
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Sculpin Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2015 Posts: 1376 | TRs | Pics
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Sculpin
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Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:43 am
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Wikipedia says:
"In 1890, Stevens conducted a thorough survey for the Great Northern, located the pass, and determined it to be the best suited for a railway crossing of the North Cascades. He wrote that there was no indication that the pass was used — there was no sign of any trails, blazes, campsites, or old campfires, for at least ten miles (16 km) in either direction and that the area was thickly forested and covered with almost impenetrable brush. Stevens wrote, "the region promised nothing to the prospector, while Indians and Whites crossing the mountains used either Snoqualmie on the south or the Indian Pass on the north."[4]
A few things of note:
1. There are big signboards at Stevens Pass describing how the natives used the area. Apparently they didn't, though.
2. Stevens mentions "Indian Pass" which is a few miles north of Cady Pass (and shown on Schroder's map).
Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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kleet meat tornado
Joined: 06 Feb 2002 Posts: 5303 | TRs | Pics Location: O no they dih ent |
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kleet
meat tornado
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Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:57 am
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Has anyone else ever seen this notch cut into a tree near Cady Pass? I assume it was carved in 1892, but who knows?
A fuxk, why do I not give one?
FiveNines, Bramble_Scramble
A fuxk, why do I not give one?
FiveNines, Bramble_Scramble
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Jake Member
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 257 | TRs | Pics Location: monroe, Wa. |
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Jake
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Sat Jul 24, 2021 12:02 pm
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WOW! Nice find. Thank you Kleet.
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FiveNines Member
Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Posts: 522 | TRs | Pics
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Sculpin, In the quote you reference Stevens is writing of his namesake pass, not Cady Pass. Upon more careful reading, you probably meant this, but I was a little confused.
Beckey sources Stevens' quote to a 1928 memorandum, "Cascade Crossing." Unfortunately I cannot find "Cascade Crossing" in the bibliography, and I don't understand where it was published or why it was written. No context. Beckey cites it many times in telling of Stevens trips, and pulls quotes extensively.
As best I understand, Stevens traversed the crest from Snoqualmie to Indian Pass. At Stevens pass he claimed it was a "particularly low spot,", not previously mapped, had no signs of travel and guessed it was the head of Nason Creek, an unexplored fork upstream of Lake Wenatchee. Then Stevens partner, locating engineer Charles Haskell, explored up Nason Creek to confirm Stevens hunch, upon which he made a blaze and named the pass after Stevens.
Source for all the above is my interpretation of Beckey said Stevens said, Range of Glaciers, 264-8.
Personally, I trust Stevens more than the billboards currently at his pass, while also recognizing Stevens potential motive for self promotion in retelling tales from his glory days almost 40 years after the fact. Additionally, Cady Creek, Little Wenatchee and Indian Creek along with their associated passes get lots of coverage in Range of Glaciers prior to 1890, where Stevens/Haskell exploration is the first time Beckey writes of Stevens Pass. This reinforces my belief that it was not used by Indians or previously explored.
I also thought it was neat to read Stevens' / Haskell's boss, the man ultimately responsible for picking the GNRR route, was Elbridge H. Beckler. Fills in another place name on the map for me.
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thunderhead Member
Joined: 14 Oct 2015 Posts: 1510 | TRs | Pics
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Kim Brown wrote: | Schroder wrote: | I've long wondered why the railroad chose Stevens Pass over this route. |
Looks like a straight shot until it gets to Troublesome Mtn. Then the train would have to make a sharp turn. Maybe that's why it's called Troublesome Mtn. (I'm just making stuff up; I have no idea what goes into selecting a route).
Thanks for the map, Randy; Now I know why I get tingly when on Pass Creek; it's an old route! |
The east side of cady does look nice and direct, but the west side of stevens gets down into a wider/bigger river valley more directly than cady. Plus stevens is 300 feet lower. In hindsight, choosing cady might have saved a lot of lives, but they didnt know much about avalanches back then, and the cady option might have been routed through big slide paths too.
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