Archives West Finding Aid

Although the Wasatch Mountain Club was formally incorporated on 13 May 1920, it was informally organized earlier, sometime in August of 1913. The seven original participants are said to have met in the mountains, on various trails near Salt Lake City. Soon, women were present on the outings, and before the club was formally organized, it had sponsored hiking and skiing trips, built a ski jump, and helped to rediscover Timpanogos Cave and preserve it from mining interests. There were thirteen charter members when the club incorporated, but within five years their numbers grew past 500. With a more extensive schedule of activities, hiking and skiing outings, bus tours, and social programs, it was agreed that a permanent lodge and headquarters should be constructed. Brighton, Utah at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon, was selected as a site, and work began in the spring of 1929. Much of the labor necessary to build the lodge was volunteered by club members. When the building was finished in October 1937, it had a capacity of fifty overnight guests. In 1933 the club was governed by its first woman president, Miss Edith Cook. Also in that year the Wasatch Mountain Club Ladies Chorus (later the Schubert Singers) was founded. During the 1930s rock climbing outings and classes were first offered by the club. World War II effected the club significantly. Many of the male members were in the armed forces and gasoline was rationed, therefore club activities were somewhat limited. Nevertheless, club members joined the mountain Ski Corps Emergency Squad and the Office of Civil Defense participating in rescue work, guide service, and searches for lost aircraft. After the war, a series of shelter huts were constructed by the club along the exposed ridges between Alta, Brighton, and Park City. In 1949, a ski tow was put in at Great Western Hill, Brighton. During the 1950s, the club's activities diversified to include river running and ski mountaineering. By 1960 the club's membership had increased from under 100 immediately after the war to 600. In the 1960s the club became increasingly concerned with the conservation of wilderness. Club members made extensive studies and participated in lobbying efforts aimed at preserving the Wasatch and Uintah Ranges and many areas of Southern Utah and neighboring states. These efforts have been gratified by the designation of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area in the 1970s and eight other wilderness areas in Utah in 1984.