Diana L. Di Stefano - Encounters in Avalanche Country: A History of Survival in the Mountain West, 1820-1920

EMIL AND KATHLEEN SICK SERIES IN WESTERN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY

With support from the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington, the Sick Series in Western History and Biography features scholarly books on the peoples and issues that have defined and shaped the American West. Through intellectually challenging and engaging books of general interest, the series seeks to deepen and expand our understanding of the American West as a region and its role in the making of the United States and the modern world.

EMIL AND KATHLEEN SICK SERIES IN WESTERN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY

The Great Columbia Plain: A Historical Geography, 18051910, by Donald W. Meinig

Mills and Markets: A History of the Pacific Coast Lumber Industry to 1900, by Thomas R. Cox

Radical Heritage: Labor, Socialism, and Reform in Washington and British Columbia, 18851917, by Carlos A. Schwantes

The Battle for Butte: Mining and Politics on the Northern Frontier, 18641906, by Michael P. Malone

The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era, by Quintard Taylor

Warren G. Magnuson and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century America, by Shelby Scates

The Atomic West, edited by Bruce Hevly and John M. Findlay

Power and Place in the North American West, edited by Richard White and John M. Findlay

Henry M. Jackson: A Life in Politics, by Robert G. Kaufman

Parallel Destinies: Canadian-American Relations West of the Rockies, edited by John M. Findlay and Ken S. Coates

Nikkei in the Pacific Northwest: Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians in the Twentieth Century, edited by Louis Fiset and Gail M. Nomura

Bringing Indians to the Book, by Albert Furtwangler

Death of Celilo Falls, by Katrine Barber

The Power of Promises: Perspectives on Indian Treaties of the Pacific Northwest, edited by Alexandra Harmon

Warship under Sail: The USS Decatur in the Pacific West, by Lorraine McConaghy

Shadow Tribe: The Making of Columbia River Indian Identity, by Andrew H. Fisher

A Home for Every Child: Relinquishment, Adoption, and the Washington Children's Home Society, 18961915, by Patricia Susan Hart

Atomic Frontier Days: Hanford and the American West, by John M. Findlay and Bruce Hevly

The Nature of Borders: Salmon, Boundaries, and Bandits on the Salish Sea, by Lissa K. Wadewitz

Encounters in Avalanche Country: A History of Survival in the Mountain West, 18201920, by Diana L. Di Stefano

2013 by the University of Washington Press
Printed and bound in the United States of America
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Di Stefano, Diana L.
Encounters in avalanche country : a history of survival in the Mountain West, 18201920 / Diana L. Di Stefano.
pages cm. (Emil and Kathleen Sick series in Western history and biography)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-295-99314-0 (hardback)
1. Frontier and pioneer lifeWest (U.S.) 2. Frontier and pioneer lifeRocky Mountains. 3. Mountain lifeWest (U.S.). 4. Mountain lifeRocky Mountains. 5. AvalanchesWest (U.S.)History. 6. AvalanchesSocial aspectsWest (U.S.)History. 7. AvalanchesRocky MountainsHistory. 8. AvalanchesSocial aspectsRocky MountainsHistory. 9. Human ecologyWest (U.S.)History. 10. Human ecologyRocky Mountains RegionHistory. I. Title.
F596.D5 2013
978'.02dc23 2013027325

The paper used in this publication is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48 1984.

ISBN-13: 978-0-295-80482-8 (electronic)

I OWE THE COMPLETION OF THIS BOOK TO THE SUPPORT OF MY MENTORS, colleagues, and employers. Donna Krasnow's and Bob Walch's teaching skills gave me the foundation to pursue both history and writing. Anne Hyde, Betsy Jameson, and Carol Neel remain valued mentors and friends. At the University of Montana, Dan Flores and Dave Emmons inspired my intellectual growth. Dan has continued to be an indispensable critic and supporter of my work. At the University of Colorado in Boulder, I learned about the craft of history from Virginia Anderson, Bob Ferry, Julie Greene, Nan Goodman, Ralph Mann, Mark Pittenger, and Carolyn Ramsey. I owe a special debt to Peter Boag, my dissertation adviser. I will always be grateful for his insistence on solid evidence, organized writing, and analytical rigor. My amazing cohorts at Colorado, John Enyeart, John Grider, Beth Kovacs, Eric Morgan, Wendy Rex-Atzet, Duke Richey, and Allison Wickens, all offered insightful input. My colleagues at Pacific Lutheran University, Bucknell University, and University of AlaskaFairbanks offered impromptu advice and support. I am grateful for the curiosity and good humor of my students at those institutions as well. Parts of the book appeared in Journal of Social History and Environmental History, and I thank those publications for their permission to rework the material here. Appreciation, too, goes to my graduate assistant Matt Robinson and map maker Kerri Crowder. I also owe thanks to Laura Avedisian, Lincoln Bramwell, Doug Smith, and Leon Unruh; my anonymous reviewers; and my readers at the University of Washington Press for their patience looking through my manuscript.

This book was possible due to funding from the University of Colorado, the Charles Redd Center for Western History, and Bucknell University. Due to the generosity of these institutions, I was able to pursue research at Denver Public Library, Glenbow Archives, Parks Canada Archives in Revelstoke, Revelstoke Museum and Archives, Revelstoke Railway Museum, Stephen H. Hart Library at the Colorado Historical Society, University of Utah Archives, and Utah Historical Society, Washington State University Archives and Special Collections, the Washington State Archives, and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Archives. Gary Krist generously shared his sources related to the Wellington slide with me.

This book would not have happened without the emotional, intellectual, and financial support of my friends and family. I am privileged to have too many friends to list them all by name, but their faith in my work has been invaluable. My father Lew's love of the West, a passion he passed on to me, inspired this book. My sister Anne Marie's excellent editing and listening skills motivated me through the difficult times. My loyal canine companions, Skaia and Emma, reminded me that walks are important, too. Finally, the memory of my mother's resilient spirit has sustained me.