Spend a day in Darrington May 26

Postcard view of "downtown" Darrington, exact date unknown, probably early 1900s.

If you're planning to stick around the area over Memorial Day weekend, you might consider a day trip to Darrington May 26 for their annual Darrington Day event.

Described by the Darrington Area Business Association as "Darrington's annual celebration of wildflowers, waterfalls & outdoor adventures,"the event also celebrates the 121st year of the town's existence.

But for history buffs like me, the town's self guided history and trivia tour is the main attraction. A couple bits of trivia to tempt you:

• According to the 1910 census, the town had 250 residents & 14 pianos. 

• Many homes and business buildings were once part of the Sauk River Logging Camp and were constructed on railroad flat cars, a mobile camp that moved its location five times before becoming part of the town. (Source: Darrington Historical Society)

More history related events take place at the Darrington Senior Center, where there will be a historical logging display by the Darrington Historical Society, and a number of historical photos needing identification.

Ellis Postcard Co. postcard view of Darrington, probably 1940s.

Mountain Loop Books & Coffee will host author Aaron Young, signing his new book about the waterfalls of the Mountain Loop Highway, as well as author Brenda Ballard signing the latest book in her series "The Boy From Granite Falls," set during the 1930s in the Mountain Loop area.

Events take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 26. There will be various opportunities to learn about outdoor recreation and wildflowers along the historical Mountain Loop Highway and the adjacent Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; also on the schedule is the Darrington Open Air Market and live music at Old School Park by the Whitehorse Musician's Guild from noon until dusk.

For more information about the town, visit Destination Darrington Washington.

Historic fire lookout ordered removed

Photo courtesy Washington Trust for Historic Preservation

Disappointing news: The Daily Herald reports that the historic Green Mountain fire lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness northeast of Darrington has been ordered removed by a federal judge, citing it a violation of the federal Wilderness Act.

The lawsuit, filed in 2010 by Wilderness Watch, alleged that the Forest Service violated the federal Wilderness Act, which doesn't allow for the use of motorized vehicles nor new construction in wilderness areas. Helicopters were used to haul out the old lookout and haul in what Wilderness Watch calls a new building.

The Forest Service has maintained that the lookout was restored, not reconstructed, and that the historical significance of the forest fire lookout made it an allowable project in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The lookout is on the national and state registers of historic places.

The lookout was built by a Civilian Conservation Corps crew in the summer of 1933, atop 6,500-foot-tall Green Mountain in the North Cascade Range. Each summer the lookout was staffed for the purpose of early reporting of forest fires.

While I understand the intent of the Wilderness Act, banning further human development and interference in what's left of the nation's pristine wilderness areas, the historian in me wonders why there is no exception to the rule for historic structures like the lookout. It's an important artifact in tracing how national parks and forests were developed at the turn of the 19th/20th century.

For further reading, check out this 2011 Herald article about the history of fire lookouts in the North Cascade Range.