The riotous abundance of an ancient forest can hide many secrets. In the remote Bumping River Valley, a surprisingly rich past is quietly disappearing as the artifacts marking bygone lives and labors are reclaimed by the landscape as inexorably as fallen trees become soil for the next generation of monarchs. In Tanum, author Susan Summit Cyr reveals the nearly forgotten history of the land just east of Mount Rainier National Park in the center of Washington State.

On the brink of winter in 1911, newlyweds Jack and Kitty Nelson left Yakima, Washington to make a new home. They ventured into a pristine wilderness in the heart of the rugged Cascade Mountain Range. He was to tend the brand new dam at Bumping Lake, and she carried with her the dream to build a mountain resort. Well beyond any comforts of civilization, the couple thrived, building a vacation destination that drew visitors from around the world.

Once known by the local Yakamas as Tanum, Bumping Lake might seem like an unlikely spot to have gathered power brokers, but the lively and gregarious Nelsons were irresistible hosts and adventure hotels were rare in the far West.

One of the most significant of their visitors was the future Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas who, as a teenager, came to know the Nelsons. Jack and Kitty introduced him-and many others-to the flora and fauna of the mountains and to the mysteries of the forest. Their gentle mentoring sharpened Douglas’ appreciation for nature and helped nurture his nascent environmental consciousness.

When the land that Douglas loved was jeopardized, he and local activists fought to save irreplaceable old-growth forests and protect the diverse ecosystems underpinning them. Their efforts changed the land map of the Pacific Northwest.

Tanum, is both an ode to the natural world and a cautionary tale of the forces, born of our consumptive society, that threaten our nation’s last great places.