1911 Mt. Baker Marathon Evolved from an Argument?

SkiToSea · Site Admin Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 67

As reported in the Friday, May 21, 1976 edition of The Bellingham Herald:

"The former Mount Baker Marathon evolved from an argument among loggers about which was the quickest route to the top of Mount Baker - via Deming or Glacier. It was a grueling race through from 24 to 32 miles of forested trail and heavily-crevassed glacier."

Does anyone have any information that could verify this story today? If so, please email SkitoSea@bellingham.com

heliotrope_hopper · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:37 pm

There is a bit of truth in that idea, though that is not really how it all started.
The idea that it all started as nothing more than a rivalry between loggers and they decided to hold he marathon to settle this rivalry probably came from a Galen Biery interview of Hugh Galbraith on May 28th, 1961. Hugh Galbraith (who came from a family of loggers) was a brother of Joe Galbraith who won the first marathon. Hugh competed in the second marathon, along with a cousin of his, Victor, though Hugh didn't complete the race. He got sick on the car ride out to the Deming trail and was unable to go any further. In the interview, Hugh Galbraith explains:

Oh I can’t tell ya exactly how it got started. There was a little competition or a little rivalry between the two routes to get to, to reach the top of Mount Baker. One by way of Glacier and the other by way of the Deming Trail they called it, by Heisler Ranch. The rivalry got quite keen and so they got to talking about havin’ a race up there and see which side could get a man up to the top and back the quickest. “

The truth is that the marathon all started with an article by A.J. Craven that published in the Bellingham Herald on February 19, 1911 in which Craven outlines how it would be possible to go from Bellingham to the summit of Mount Baker and get back to Bellingham in 24 hours. Craven recommended doing this by going over the Deming Trail. The idea got some attention and there was talk of trying the plan put forward by Craven.

Almost a month later, on March 12, Henry Engberg suggest that it could be possible to go from Bellingham to the summit and back in 21 hours. Engberg recommended trying this by going over the Glacier trail. In the same article, Engberg suggested the creation of a club.

A week later it was announced that there would be a club (the Mount Baker Club) and the first thing the club would do is create a committee to set up the rules for a “climbing contest.” This contest would end up being a full blown race which was driven heavily by the rivalry between the two towns of Deming and Glacier .

However, the idea that it was all started by loggers arguing over the fastest route seems a bit stretched to say the least.