Adventures in Mapland

John R. Jackson was one of Washingtons's first settlers. You'll find his cabin on Jackson Highway, just south of Highway 12 (see St. Helens Map). The Jackson cabin became a stopping point for early settlers traveling north to what is today Tumwater, Washington. His cabin later became Washington's first courthouse.

So you don't have time to drive to Mount Rainier or the Olympic Peninsula to see Washington's giant trees? No problem. Just five minutes off of I-5, at Lewis and Clark State Park (see St. Helens Map) you'll find a 621 acre grove of old growth trees. Follow the hiking trails into one of Washington's last stands of virgin forest, where you can walk among the giants. My son, Eric, poses in front of a Douglas fir tree.

Jackson Highway cuts right through the heart of the Lewis and Clark old growth forest. Just imagine...it looked just like this, without the highway, when Lewis and Clark were here in 1805.

Vitara asked if she could pose in front of the frost laden trees of the Lewis and Clark forest. It was a chilly day and the frost remained in the forest all day.

Many people don't realize that Western Washington actually has prairies.(see Thurston County Map and Adventures in Mapland: Mima Mounds) The Indians actually burned them regularly to keep the trees from encroaching. Mount St. Helens looms in the distance.

This is the first Catholic mission to be established in the Northwest Territory. (see Mt. Saint Helens Map) That's not Mount St. Helens in the distance...it's Mount Rainier. You can see both mountains from here. St. Francis Xavier Church was founded in 1838 by Father Blanchett, who travelled to the Cowlitz Prairie all the way from Montreal, Canada, with his companion, Father DeMers. The mission is still in use today. The cemetery, among the trees to the right of the church, is possibly the oldest cemetery in Washington State.

The first visitor center that you'll encounter enroute to Mount St. Helens on Spirit Lake Highway is at Silver Lake. (see St. Helens Map) This is the view of Mount St. Helens from the visitor center, looking across Silver Lake.

This is one of Toutle's outstanding citizens, 92 year-old Henry Enns, one of the memorable people that I met on the Mount St. Helens map. Henry has kept a daily journal in "longhand", called Life History, since 1932! Many Toutle citizens remember Henry as their shop and German teacher. He taught in the Toutle school for many years and started making his bird houses as a class project in his 5th grade class. Henry stays sharp by doing crossword puzzles, and still makes his bird houses and bookshelves, which he sells and gives away to friends. Best wishes for many more happy years ahead in Toutle, Henry!