Originally published Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Now & Then
Inspiring Index
Mount Index stands like a majestic gate where the Skykomish Valley starts to tighten and the climb to Stevens Pass begins in earnest.
Mount Index stands like a majestic gate where the Skykomish Valley starts to tighten and the climb to Stevens Pass begins in earnest. Here in 1913 the photographer Lee Pickett climbed the hill behind Index, his hometown, and looked not east toward the pass but southwest to both Mount Index, on the left, and Mount Persis on the right. Two years earlier Pickett and three others started scaling Index confident that they would be the first climbers to make the summit. To the quartet's surprise, when they reached the top they found a flagpole, although no flag.
Homesteader Amos Gunn started the town of Index as a roadhouse for miners, lumberjacks and Great Northern Railroad workers. The first transcontinental train through Stevens Pass reached Seattle in 1893, the year Gunn also platted his town and named it after the mountain. Three years earlier he had also named the mountain — peculiarly. For Gunn, the columns standing across the sheer northeast face of the peak resembled fingers, and so he named it after one of them.
From the early 1900s well into the 1940s, Lee Pickett was all over the Skykomish Valley with his camera, and so became a familiar character in the valley. The Pickett Historical Museum in Index exhibits his work, and the negatives are preserved at the University of Washington's Special Collections.
Readers who use the Internet may want to examine a few hundred more examples of Pickett's recordings on the U.W. Libraries Web page. You can go directly to his pictures at http://content.lib.washington.edu/pickettweb/index.html.
"Washington Then and Now," the new book by Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard, can be purchased through www.washingtonthenandnow.com ($45) or through Tartu Publications at P.O. Box 85208, Seattle, WA 98145.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Picnics in the Pacific Northwest happen rain or shine
Wine Adviser: Rosés enjoy a boom in quality as well as quantity
Plant Life: Chic raised beds help make growing veggies easy
Northwest Living: One small plot serves as home, shop and town stopping spot
Taste: Obamas plant a garden and set the tone for what we eat
Now & Then: Seattle Center attracts a crowd, no matter the weather

Gen. David Petraeus: Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Watch highlights of General David Petraeus discussing the Iraq and Afghanistan War at the Global Leadership Series sponsored by the World Affairs Council.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs


Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
What not to wear to work this summer
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new compact car? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- Cocoa plant where worked died didn't have license
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- Chase won't pay for Seattle's Lake Union fireworks next year
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- The end of the light-line line, for now: Tukwila's "Taj Mahal" station
- Lawmaker says CIA director ended secret program
- Mariners Blog | Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik again declines to quell Yuniesky Betancourt trade rumors
- Mariners Blog | Deals involving Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez not automatically related
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
577 - Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners: 07/09 game thread
243 - Chase won't pay for next year's Lake Union fireworks
186 - Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik again declines to quell Yuniesky Betancourt trade rumors
183 - World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
129 - Deals involving Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez not automatically related
105 - The end of the line, for now: Tukwila is the jewel in the crown of Link
89 - Yuniesky Betancourt traded to Royals for two minor league pitchers
86 - Franklin Gutierrez bails Mariners out in a 3-1 win
77 - Group hopes to build 75-megawatt solar park near Cle Elum
60
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- Group hopes to build 75-megawatt solar park near Cle Elum
- Cocoa plant where worked died didn't have license
- Grab the kids and hop on Amtrak for a stress-free getaway to Portland
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- During financial crisis, the business of college sports is complicated by Title IX
- Local Smith & Hawken garden stores to close
- Lavender tour on Vashon Island leads round of festivals









