View XML QR Code

Mountain Rescue Association records, 1952-2013

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Mountain Rescue Association
Title
Mountain Rescue Association records
Dates
1952-2013 (inclusive)
Quantity
8.07 cubic feet (9 boxes and 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
5559
Summary
Files and publications relating to the operation of the national Mountain Rescue Association
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided by a donation from the Mountain Rescue Association
Return to Top

Historical Note

The Mountain Rescue Association was founded in 1959 at Mt. Hood, Oregon. It was a continuation of the Mountain Rescue Council, sometimes also known as the Mountain Rescue and Safety Council, which was founded in 1948 by Ome Daiber, Wolf Bauer, and Otto Trott in Washington. The Association is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization which provides mountain rescue and promotes mountain safety education. Administratively it is divided into regions and then into teams.

The association disseminates and provides exchange of information about all aspects of rescue procedures, safe practices, equipment, and mountain rescue operations. It also provides coordination and standardization for use of alpine techniques, regardless of terrain.

Interest in creating a national association developed at a training conference attended by 400 people at Timberline Lodge around 1957. Such conferences had been occurring for a number of years, initially organized by The Mountain Rescue and Safety Council, later growing to attract attendees from across the west. Eleven rescue teams primarily from Washington and Oregon signed the original Mountain Rescue Association bylaws in 1959.

In 2011, there were 100 teams including two in Canada.

Return to Top

Content Description

Early organizing documents, officers' files, business meeting documents, policies, committee files, publications, correspondence, membership and officer directories, newsletters, meeting minutes, applications submitted for membership in the organization, research files, multimedia, clippings about search and rescue missions, and other materials relating to the national Mountain Rescue Association.

The Clearinghouse series includes materials gathered and made available to teams and regions as resources on various topics.

Regional and team files from across the United States and some international areas include applications for membership, reaccreditation processes, correspondence, clippings, team newsletters, publications, membership, association dues, and other materials.

The Mountain Rescue Association records also include materials from the predecessor organization (Mountain Rescue and Safety Council) and other organizations such as the Alpine Club of Canada; the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM); the Mountaineers; and the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR).

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 4 accessions.

  • Accession No. 5559-001, Mountain Rescue Association records, 1952-2010
  • Accession No. 5559-004, Mountain Rescue Association records, 1963-2013
  • Accession No. 5559-005, Mountain Rescue Association records, 1994-2011
  • Accession No. 5559-006, Mike Norman's Mountain Rescue Association collection, 1950-2013

Related Materials

The Mountain Rescue Association website has been regularly captured by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine since 2016. The snapshots can be viewed here: https://wayback.archive-it.org/4224/*/http://www.mra.org/

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Mountaineering--Northwest, Pacific--Societies, etc.--Archives
  • Mountaineering--Search and rescue operations--Northwest, Pacific
  • Mountaineering--Search and rescue operations--United States
  • Mountaineering--Search and rescue operations--Washington (State)
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)

Corporate Names

  • Mountain Rescue Association--Archives

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Bauer, Wolf G (creator)
    • Daiber, Ome (creator)
    • Trott, Otto T. (Otto Titus), 1911-1999 (creator)

    Corporate Names

    • Alpine Club of Canada (creator)
    • American Society for Testing and Materials (creator)
    • Mountaineers (Society) (creator)
    • National Association for Search and Rescue (U.S.) (creator)


2011 (Last modified: 6/2/2025)

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...