W E S T E R N L I B R A R I E S H E R I T A G E R E S O U R C E S

Heritage Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 Volume 3, Issue 2

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Student Recreation 1

Director’s Letter 2

Mt Baker ‘Hiking’ Club 2

Fly Fishing Class 3

Featured Resources 4

Acknowledgments 4

Newsletter content contributed by Elizabeth Joffrion, Ruth Steele, Tony Kurtz, and Paul Piper. Edited by Rozlind Koester.

Contact: Heritage.Resources@wwu.edu; (360) 650-7534; http://library.wwu.edu/hr .

T h e E v e r g r e e n P l a y g r o u n d :

S t u d e n t R e c r e a t i o n R e c o r d s i n

T h e U n i v e r s i t y A r c h i v e s

As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the docu-

mentation of student activities in its collections, Uni-

versity Archives and Records Management recently

accessioned a large set of Associated Students (AS)

records which document the wide-ranging initia-

tives, activism, and recreational pursuits of Western

students from 1916 to the present. These materi-

als include the official records of the AS Board and

committees, subject files documenting student ac-

tivities, student club files, records of the Ethnic Stu-

dent Center, and records from the Viking Union Fa-

cilities office.

In addition to illuminating the broader history of stu-

dent activities at Western, the AS records document

iconic student recreational facilities such as Kul-

shan Cabin (Mt. Baker), Lakewood (Lake Whatcom),

and Viqueen Lodge (Sinclair Island). Kulshan Cabin

records date from the early 1950s and include re-

ports, correspondence, and sign-in registers. Rec-

ords relating to Lakewood document property histo-

ry back to 1922, and include design drawings, facili-

ty development files, and annual reports. Viqueen

Lodge records date from the late 1960s, but West-

ern’s ownership of the property and cabin actually

See “Playground,” continued on p. 4

Design Drawing, Lakewood Boathouse, 1967. Accession 2012-124, Viking

Union Facilities Office records, University Archives.

P a g e 2 H e r i t a g e H i g h l i g h t s

itage Resources Speaker Series and our James

W. Scott Fellowship—and a wide array of special-

ized teaching and research activities offered

each quarter.

In addition to public programming, we also ac-

tively seek new materials that document the Pa-

cific Northwest region and its unique heritage.

We welcome inquiries about potential donations

of historical materials to help support our collec-

tion development goals, and we are always

grateful for monetary gifts that enable us to

manage and preserve our collections more effec-

tively. If you would like to learn more about Herit-

age Resources, please contact me personally. I’d

be delighted to meet with you for a tour of our

facilities and an introduction to our collections.

With my best regards,

Elizabeth Joffrion, Director

Elizabeth.Joffrion@wwu.edu / (360) 650-3283

The natural environment of the Pacific Northwest

provides endless possibilities for recreation, re-

laxation, and rejuvenation. The proximity of the

mountains, forest, and ocean allows outdoor

enthusiasts to engage in a range of activities to

help them escape from the stresses of the day

and slow down the pace of life. As Director of

Heritage Resources, I am fortunate to connect a

personal passion for the outdoors with my pro-

fessional responsibility of developing collections

that document the history and culture of this

amazing region.

Our holdings include a world-class fly fishing col-

lection, records of early mountaineering expedi-

tions, historic photographs and maps, testimony

of indigenous relationships to the land and sea,

and materials documenting student outdoor ac-

tivities. We promote awareness and use of these

extraordinary collections through regular public

programming—such as the highly successful Her-

D i r e c t o r ’ s L e t t e r

D o c u m e n t i n g t h e O u t d o o r s :

T h e M o u n t B a k e r ‘ H i k i n g ’ C l u b R e c o r d s

While spring sunshine is always welcome, most Pacif-

ic Northwesterners need little encouragement—no

matter the weather or time of year—to head out in

search of adventure, comradery and/or solitude in

the midst of nature. This tendency is amply docu-

mented in the wonderful, historic records of the Mt.

Baker “Hiking” Club, which are archived and available

at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.

Although the Club was not formally incorporated until

1928, its origins go back to 1911 when early mem-

bers were involved in organizing the “Mt. Baker Mara-

thons.” The history of the Club—which is still highly

active—has been characterized by the endeavors of

its membership to pursue and promote outdoor activi-

ties (including skiing and, in particular, hiking), while

also seeking to protect and conserve natural re-

sources for human enjoyment.

Contact CPNWS for more information about this

unique collection!

Mount Baker Club members pose for a group photo, with Mt. Shuksan

behind, undated. Mount Baker ‘Hiking’ Club records, CPNWS.

See p. 4 for more resources from this collection

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 2

F i s h i n g f o r a n E d u c a t i o n :

T e a c h i n g & L e a r n i n g w i t h

S p e c i a l C o l l e c t i o n s

Earlier this spring, hundreds of Western students,

staff, and faculty witnessed fifteen people casting

fly rods on the lawn in front of Old Main. People who

stopped to ask about it were surprised to learn that

it was a Library class, even though Library classes

are typically focused on research strategies and

technological skills. So how, then, did this class

evolve?

When Paul Piper was hired as Special Collections

Librarian in October, 2014, one of his goals was to

further integrate the unique materials of Special

Collections into teaching and learning at Western.

Some of the collections, such as the Rare Books

and Children’s Books, easily lent themselves to in-

struction. But how could Piper make use of the

more than two thousand fly fishing books and arti-

facts that make up the Fly Fishing Collection?

Over the next several months, Piper began formulat-

ing a plan to offer a credit class utilizing this rich

collection. He received a fellowship at the National

Sporting Library in Middleburg, Virginia, where he

spent two weeks creating a syllabus and developing

extensive notes to support a Library course called

Fly Fishing in American Literature and Culture. Piper

began teaching the class in Spring 2015, with fif-

teen eager students on board.

They started by looking at the history of angling,

then moved on to fly fishing and its migration from

England to America. They explored how the sport

was developed within the context of the young

American nation, and also how tackle and technolo-

gy influenced the sport over the next two hundred

years.

Other topics covered throughout the quarter includ-

ed prejudices inherent in fly fishing (such as classi-

cism, racism and sexism), and more specific discus-

sions about minorities and women in the sport. The

students looked at issues around the practice of

catch and release, the environment, and habitat,

and invited two renowned authors—Steve Raymond

and Seth Norman—to discuss their art and craft with

the group.

At one point during the quarter, a student who had

never fly fished before explained that he was having

difficulty contextualizing the discussions due to his

lack of personal experience with the sport. Piper

and two faculty colleagues (who were assisting with

the discussion) decided to take the class outside to

practice fly fishing techniques on the Old Main lawn.

Recently while reflecting on the past quarter, Piper

said “I went into this class as an experiment, unsure

if I would teach it again, but it was such a wonderful

experience that I plan to teach it every Spring.” For

more information about the Fly Fishing in American

Literature class, please see the Western Libraries

news story: http://library.wwu.edu/node/16262.

LIBR 320 Fly Fishing in American Literature class, Spring 2015

(photo courtesy of Clarissa Mansfield).

LIBR 320 Fly Fishing in American Literature class, Spring 2015

(photo courtesy of Clarissa Mansfield).

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

age.Resources@wwu.edu or phone 360-650-3283.

Donations can also be made online or by mail to the

Western Foundation, MS-9034, Western Washing-

ton University, 516 High St, Bellingham, WA 98225-

9034. Please designate your contribution to West-

ern Libraries and identify “Heritage Resources” as

the program you wish to support.

dates back to the 1920s when they were purchased

by a Normal School student organization called the

Women’s Athletic Association. The records of that

vibrant group are also housed in the University Ar-

chives and a guide to the collection is available

online.

Many thanks to AS and Viking Union staff and stu-

dent employees—particularly Cindy Monger, Sabrina

Romano, Ashley Demko, Michael Vendiola, Nate

Panelo, Janna Cecka, and Danielle Smith—for their

participation in this project over the past few years!

“Playground,” continued from p. 1

Viqueen Lodge/Sinclair Island Boat trip, circa 1940. Accession 2009-

67, Women’s Recreation Association records, University Archives.

We would like to thank our devoted volunteers and

student employees for all they do in support of Herit-

age Resources. We would also like to thank the many

individuals, families, and organizations who have

made generous contributions of materials and/or

monetary gifts. To donate records or make a finan-

cial contribution, please email Herit-

Above: Work crew atop Winchester Mountain, 1982 (photograph by Vern

Renius). Right: “The Rambler” (bulletin of the Mount Baker Club), August,

22, 1928. Mount Baker ‘Hiking’ Club records, CPNWS.

F e a t u r e d R e s o u r c e s

f r o m t h e M o u n t B a k e r

‘ H i k i n g ’ C l u b r e c o r d s