Longmire

Historic District

The Longmire Historic District comprises the former headquarters district of the park and its chief developed area. The district includes 58 contributing buildings and structures, including four structures individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is home to the largest concentration of National Park Service Rustic–style structures in the park, and one of the most notable groups of such structures in any U.S. national park. The district lies on either side of the Paradise-Nisqually Road, with the Longmire Meadows area on the north side and the park concession and administration facilities on the south side of the road.

Individually listed structures on the National Register include the Longmire Buildings, a National Historic Landmark comprising the park's former headquarters, the Longmire Cabin, and three comfort stations, L-302, L-303 and L-305. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1991. Longmire is also the location of Mount Rainier's National Park Inn, the Longmire Museum. These buildings are constructed in rustic style. The National Park Inn is the only accommodation in the park open all year round. The Longmire Historic District is in turn part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park's inventory of Park Service-designed rustic architecture.

Longmire is the second most popular destination for visitors to Mount Rainier National Park after Paradise. Of the more than 1.3 million people who visited the park in 2000, 38% visited Longmire. The Cougar Rock Campground is about 2 miles (3 km) north east of Longmire. Longmire is one of the starting points of the Wonderland Trail.

Nisqually Suspension Bridge

Located within the boundaries of the Longmire Historic District is the Nisqually Suspension Bridge, considered one of the oldest such spans in the National Park System. The historic landmark was originally built for foot traffic in 1911 and rebuilt to accommodate automobiles in 1924. The bridge was rebuilt twice, in 1952 and 2005. Due to the bridge's age and subsequent state, the overpass was limited to vehicles under 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg) in August 2024.

The Nisqually Suspension Bridge is the last remaining timber-framed trestle span of its type designed by the National Park System.

History

On August 16, 1883, George Bayley, Philemon Van Trump and James Longmire made the third successful ascent of Mt. Rainier. During their return trip, Longmire discovered several mineral hot springs just north of Bear Prairie. He returned to the area later that fall and laid claim to the tract, which would become known as Longmire Springs. During the following year, he blazed a crude path, which branched off the Yelm-Bear Prairie Road that he and William Packwood blazed in 1861, to Longmire Springs. This would become the second trail to track through the future national park.

In 1884 James Longmire built a trail from Succotash Valley in Ashford 13 miles (21 km) to the hot springs where he built cabins in the area which now bears his name. John Muir described staying there on the way to his ascent of Mount Rainier in 1888. The oldest surviving structure in the National Park is a cabin built by Longmire's son Elcaine Longmire at the springs in 1888. It is located north of the road in the area now called Longmire Meadows.

From 1899 to 1904 approximately 500 people a year visited Longmire Springs in the summer months. They reached the area by train to Ashford and then on Longmire's wagon trail. They enjoyed the mineral springs and the view of Mount Rainier. They could also hike to Paradise or Indian Henry's Hunting Grounds, both about 6 miles (10 km) from Longmire Springs on trails built by the Longmire family.

In 1890, Longmire built a five-room hotel, which was later expanded. By 1906, the Longmires' hotel with assorted tents and cabins totaled 30 rooms. In that year, the Tacoma and Eastern Railroad built the original National Park Inn at Longmire, a three-story building with accommodation for 60 guests. Having a competitor establish in the Longmire area soured relations between the National Park and the Longmire family. There followed some legal disputes between the Longmires and park officials including the opening of a saloon by Robert Longmire (James' son) and its subsequent closure by Acting Superintendent Grenville F. Allen who thought it a "public nuisance".

Constructed in an early rustic style, a Hiker's Center was built in 1911 by the Tacoma and Eastern Railroad. It is now the Longmire general store.

The Longmires wearied of park pressures to improve their facilities, and after Elcaine's death in 1915, they leased their property to the newly formed Longmire Springs Hotel Company in 1916. The new operators promptly built an additional hotel structure along with 16 wood-frame cabins. Although the property was cleaned up and improved, operating as "The New Longmire Springs Hotel", it still did not meet the quality level of the National Park Inn across the road.

2006 flooding

Longmire, along with Paradise, were among the most badly affected areas in the November 6, 2006 Pineapple Express rainstorm when 18 inches (457 mm) of rain fell in a 36-hour period, causing extensive flood damage and road closures. State Route 706 (the Nisqually entrance to Paradise road) which serves Longmire was closed due to flood damage until May 5, 2007.

Climate

Longmire experiences warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Longmire has a Mediterranean-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate (Dsb).