WAUWildernessAlpsStehekinFilmPHColl1281.xml Guide to the Wilderness Alps of Stehekin Film 1957 Wilderness Alps of Stehekin Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Mountaineers Foundation Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries © 2015 (Last modified: 1/31/2020)
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This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-01-15. Finding aid written inEnglish. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries Wilderness Alps of Stehekin film PH1281 1 reels 1116 feet; 31 minutes 16mm, sound, color 1957 Film of David Brower and his sons exploring various areas within the North Cascades mountain range in Washington State Collection materials are in English.

David Ross Brower (July 1, 1912 – November 5, 2000) was a prominent environmentalist and the founder of many environmental organizations, including the John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, Friends of the Earth (1969), the League of Conservation Voters, Earth Island Institute (1982), North Cascades Conservation Council, and Fate of the Earth Conferences. From 1952 to 1969, he served as the first Executive Director of the Sierra Club, and served on its board three times: from 1941–1953; 1983–1988; and 1995-2000. As a younger man, he was a prominent mountaineer.

Sierra Club is an environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. In addition to political advocacy, the Sierra Club organizes outdoor recreation activities, and is a notable organization for mountaineering and rock climbing in the United States, having pioneered the Yosemite Decimal System of climbing. The Sierra Club does not set standards for or regulate alpinism, but it organizes wilderness courses, hikes, rock climbs, and alpine expeditions for members.

In 1957, David Brower filmed Wilderness Alps of Stehekin with his two sons, Kenneth and Robert, in the Northern Cascades of Washington. Almost two years in the making, the thirty-one minute film advocated for the preservation of Washington State's North Cascades area through the creation of a national park. Over the next decade, Wilderness Alps of Stehekin became the most influential publicity tool in the struggle to preserve the area. North Cascades National Park was ultimately established in 1968.

David Brower and his sons explore various areas within the North Cascades mountain range in Washington State. The group travels by foot, ski, and jeep, and sights visted include: Rainbow Falls, Coon Lake, Agnes Creek trail, Horseshoe Basin, Cascade Pass, Park Creek, Doubtful Creek, Sauk River, White Pass, and Whitechuck Glacier.

Photographed for the Sierra Club by David Brower, Nathan Clark, Charles Hessey and John Handley. Edited and narrated by David Brower. Organ music composed and played by Clair Leonard by special arrangement with Charles Eggert.

The original reel is unavailable due to preservation concerns. A video of the film can be accessed via YouTube and the official Sierra Club website.

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Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the Special Collections division of the University of Washington Libraries for details.

The fiilm was originally in the custody of The Mountaineers History Committee.

Donor: The Mountaineers, 2011.

Processed by Kelly Burton, 2015.

The film was relocated from The Mountaineers Films collection (PH Coll 1049), in 2014.

 Brower, David Ross, 1912-2000 Sierra Club North Cascades National Park Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington) Moving Image Collections (University of Washington) Washington (State) Moving Images Expeditions and Adventure Wilderness Alps of Stehekin 1957 PH1281 Reel 1

Scenes of the Pacific Coast. The narrator discusses preserved areas including Mt. Rainier, the Olympic National Park, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon, then describes the North Cascades near Lake Chelan. Aerial scenes of Dome Peak, Boston Glacier and Cascade Pass are shown, and the narrator lauds the beauty of the area. The encroachment of clear-cuts up the valley is then described in conjunction with scenes of the abandoned mining town of Holden and its slag heaps.

David Brower and his sons, Ken and Bob, take the boatLady of the Lakefrom Chelan to Stehekin, then drive to High Bridge camp, where they meet Charles and Marion Hessey, who show them some of the North Cascades country.

The Browers hike to Rainbow Falls and Coon Lake and sightsee along the Agnes Creek trail. They hike to Horseshoe Basin and to Cascade Pass. From Stehekin they join Grant McConnell and his daughter Ann McConnell along with packer Ray Courtney to travel by horseback to Park Creek. They set up camp below the pass, explore meadows and tarns in the area, and hike to the snow-covered pass. They ride horses past Doubtful Creek to Cascade Pass. Later, they hike with a Sierra Club group up the Sauk River to White Pass, where they explore meadows and the Whitechuck Glacier and see views of Glacier Peak.

The section with Charles and Marion Hessey includes movie footage taken by the Hesseys in both summer and winter.