Remembering Starr King

Today's NY Times carries a nice commentary by Lawrence Downes about Thomas Starr King, namesake of the Pliny Range peak near Mt. Waumbek and also of a challenging, Class 5 peak in the Sierra Nevada in California. The occasion of the editorial is the removal, in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, of a marble statue of Starr King, to be replaced by one of Ronald Reagan. Each state in the union is allowed two statues (California's other one is of Father Junipero Serra), and last year the California legislature voted nearly unanimously to remove Starr King in favor of Reagan.

It seems a shame that hardly anyone remembers Starr King, who was a Unitarian minister, nowadays, and Downes writes the reasons why he should be more widely known than he is. But those of us who love and enjoy White Mountain peaks (and Sierra peaks too) can still remember, if underfoot, this remarkable person who spoke out, when it was exceedingly unpopular to do so, on behalf of slaves, the poor, unionists and the Chinese.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/06/opinion/06sat4.html?th&emc=th

Whether we realize it or not, Thomas Starr King influences every one who hikes in NH. He virtually "invented" the White Mountains in his 1859 White Hills, probably the single most important book written on this area. It was quoted (without attribution) for decades by other travel writers and has entered the very fabric of how we see the mountains. It is a period piece, to be sure, more given to viewing the mountains from afar than from the trail, although Starr King was a hiker, and the purple prose is out of fashion now, but still it has shaped modern views of the Whites. I don't know who represents NH in Statuary Hall, but rather than shipping Starr King back to Sacramento, I wish California would just put him over in our corner.

PS. I believe that King Ravine is named after him as well although there is no evidence that he ever hiked there. He was summer-based in Randolph for many years.

Barkingcat said:

Hmmmm...sounds like that might be a reason to send a note to a New Hampshire senator or representative...

(New Hampshire's Statuary Hall statues are of Daniel Webster and John Stark, both donated in 1894.)

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Stark penned the "live free or die" toast that became the NH state motto, and Webster is iconic, so I don't see them moving out any time soon to make room for Starr King. Too bad.

It is important to remember Ronald Regan, the governor, as many of the people of California do. I had the great experience of hiking for a month on the Pacific Crest Trail, from Mt Whitney to Lake Tahoe. A couple of times, I actually went through a populated palce. People there were very thankful that Regan had fought the US Gummit, ( and won ), on the issue of blasting a major super highway through the Sierras. There isn't one today because of his efforts.