Mt. Index, North Peak, First Ascent

[Bug]

Bug ---

 

About the year 1990, when I first came across his name, I did make a brief effort to locate Frank Hill ; but I was unable to track him down. Assuming that, as a Boy Scout, Frank was close to 15 years old in 1927 (born about 1912), this would put his age at about 92 today.

 

It is possible that he may still be alive today, in which case he would have a story of epic proportions to tell us. However, I just did a check of the on-line Social Security Death Index, and find that there is a "Frank Hill" listed for Washington State, who was born on Dec. 29, 1911, and who died in July 1978.

Thank you for sharing your research and experiences.

One for Frank!

[Stefan]

Are there any Native American stories about the Index group? Kind of like the Native American story on Skadulgwas?

[HarryMajors]

Stefan ---

 

To my knowledge, there have been no recorded Native American stories or legends pertaining to the Mt. Index massif, or the nearby Baring-Gunn group of peaks. This is not to say that none ever existed --- only that apparently none have ever been recorded.

 

Mt. Index is situated within the territory of the Skykomish (Skai-wha-mish, Skihwamish), who were closely related to the Snohomish. One of the best ethnological reports on this latter group of peoples is that which appeared in 1953 by Colin E. Tweddell, "A historical and ethnological study of the Snohomish Indian people" (216pp.; Seattle, 1953). At one time, there was a Skykomish village situated at or near the present town of Index (p. 178), and it "was from here that the hunters went into the Cascades for mountain goat and other game, mountain blueberries, etc." (p. 178). It was said that "The Index people . . . would go way over Three Sisters Peak beyond Baring (Mountain) and back to Index in one day picking berries" (p. 114). The name of the village at the present-day town of Index was xa'xausalt, derived from the native term for the saw-bill or merganser duck (pp. 150, 178).

 

Regrettably, unlike Nels Bruseth who recorded the Stillaguamish/Sauk account about the legend and names of Three Fingers, Whitehorse, and Mt. Higgins (the Ska-dulgwas story), the local legends of the Skykomish peoples are not known to have been written down. There are a couple of Native American stories associated with High Rock, just outside of Monroe (Tweddell, p. 69). If a legend or two was connected with so small a feature as High Rock, it is not unreasonable to conjecture that legends were also associated with such larger and more prominent peaks as Mt. Index, Mt. Baring, and Gunn Peak. Unfortunately, none are known to have been recorded.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Harry,

 

That's pretty good effort to record these simple facts.

 

Now THAT is what I call a *real* historian. Someone who can dig up that sort of info and present it. I look forward to your book. I've read the newspaper articles from the 37 accident. Sounds like it was a *major* epic and unfortunate.

 

My best wishes on your writings.

 

Thanks.