James Longmire

James Longmire (1820 – 1897) was an American explorer and settler. He led the first wagon train on the Naches Trail across the Cascades Range at Naches Pass in 1853, and then settled on Yelm Prairie within view of Mount Rainier. His homestead became a popular stop on the way to the mountain, and he farmed and worked as a guide and surveyor. In 1883 he climbed Mount Rainier, and found a series of geothermal springs near its base. Those springs were the foundation of the Longmire Hotel and health spa he built, which at its peak had 12 rooms. He died in 1897. The town of Longmire, Washington within Mount Rainier National Park is named after him, as are Longmire Meadows in both Pierce and Kittitas counties, and a defunct post office.