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Mike Collins
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Mike Collins
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PostMon Mar 17, 2003 5:56 pm 
My search to find the person attached to the Wright Mtn near Gem Lake brought me to a book which offers a wealth of information. It is entitiled "Place Names of Washington." It was written in 1985 by Hitchman. Some of the names are familiar to people. Pete Lake was named after a forest service packhorse who had spent many years on the trails. Lake Janus was named by A.H. Sylvester who mistakenly thought the lake had two outlets, one to the east and the other to the west. Hence it would have been similar to the god Janus who looked both forward and backward. Bumping River was given the name by cattlemen who would hear the boulders in the river rumble during a freshet. Grindstone was given the name by Sylvester because a grindstone fell off a pack animal into the creek beneath it. Sylvester also named Klonaqua because "klone" means three in Chinook jargon and the two large lakes plus the much smaller one above equalled three. I was surprised to see Abiel and Tinkham were actually named by the Mountaineers in an outing on June 15, 1916. Wright was an active Mountaineer and he tagged his name on Wright Mtn. It is an informative and occasionally amusing text.

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Sawyer
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PostMon Mar 17, 2003 6:47 pm 
Mike, you might be interested in the article "Hal Sylvester -- A Remarkable Legacy..." by Mary Thomsen, in the summer 1996 "The Confluence, Quarterly Publication of North Central Wshington Museum" (Vol 13 No 2). The article is based on a letter that Albert Hale Sylvester wrote to Professor George R. Stewart of the U of Cal (? which one?) in 1943. It explains how Sylvester named the numerous peaks, valleys, lakes, and other features in the Cascades from 1908-31. Many of the lakes were named for wifes, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, etc. Many Indian names were used. He also named after miners, railroaders, various events (lost a camera on Kodak Peak), Klone was named for a $3 dog, etc. Maybe I should mail you a photocopy.

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Mike Collins
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Mike Collins
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PostTue Mar 18, 2003 6:39 am 
Sawyer...That article is right up my alley of interest. It would save me a trip to the UW library (providing they even have the material). I could send you my address. Thanks!

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