Landscape painter Abby Williams Hill, of Tacoma, Washington, was contracted by the Great Northern Railway Company to paint pictures of the North Cascades, and she first painted Mount Booker in 1903.[4] At the time of Hill's painting, the mountain had not yet been named; newspaper critics called it "No-name mountain."[4]
Abby Hill wrote to the National Geological Survey to determine the mountain's name, and the agency offered her the opportunity to name it.[5] She had previously traveled to visit Booker T. Washington (d. 1915), and she attended his lectures in Tuskegee, Alabama, in the fall of 1901. She was also very moved by her experiences with Jim Crow laws in the South, as well as by Washington's lectures.[5] As a result, Abby Hill named the mountain in honor of Booker T. Washington.[4]
Climbing history
The first ascent of the Northeast Face of Mount Booker was completed by Dan Davis and John Holland on August 22, 1964.[1]
Geology
The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area.
During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[6] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.
