Toll, Roger W. 1883-1936 the the 5/22/2016 Roger W. Toll, 1883-1936 - AAC Publications - Search The American Alpine Journal and Accidents In North American Mountaineering Advanced Search The AAJ Accidents Buy The Books Support Us Login Printer View Download Original PDF Roger W. Toll, 1883-1936 In Memoriam ROGER W. TOLL 1883-1936 On February 25th, 1936, the National Park Service incurred a staggering loss when two of its outstanding leaders, Roger W. Toll, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, and George Wright, chief of the Wild Life Division, met death in an unavoidable automobile accident near Deming, N. M. Toll, long a leader in western mountaineering and a member of the American Alpine Club, was born at Denver, Colo., on October 17th, 1883. He attended the Denver schools and later Columbia University, where he graduated in civil engineering in 1906. The next year a tour with his brother gave him opportunity to climb in the Swiss Alps. Returning, he found employment in 1907 with the Massachusetts Board of Health. In 1908 he passed highest in a class of forty- four who took competitive examinations for a post with the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and as a result became member of the survey party that during the summer of 1908 charted the coast line of Cook Inlet and vicinity, Alaska. In the fall he returned to his home city to accept an appointment as chief engineer of the Denver City Tramway Company. With participation of our country in the World War, Toll became captain in the Ordnance Department, later being promoted to the rank of major. In 1919 while climbing in the Hawaiian Islands occurred Toll's significant meeting with Stephen T. Mather, then director of the recently-established National Park Service. In September of the same year Toll became superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park. In 1921 he was transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park and, when in 1929 a superintendent was sought for the largest and oldest of the National Parks, Yellowstone, Toll was the inevitable choice. Toll's superintendency of Yellowstone continued until his death, but his sphere of influence during this period was as far-flung as our land itself, and its outlying possessions-this because for a portion of each year he served in the pecular rôle of investigator of all proposed national park and monument areas. At his death, "only about a dozen areas, out of one hundred and fifty, remained yet to be investigated and reported upon. A tireless worker and a wizard for detail, he has compiled hundreds of reports of inestimable value. Of everything he did he made a neat, accurate, and comprehensive record. No other man has the first-hand knowledge of our national scenic resources which was his" (Trail and Timberline, March-April, 1936; port.). It was while en route with Wright to investigate the proposed international park in the Big Bend region of Texas, Chihuahua and Coahuila, that Toll met his death. Mountaineerinawas Toll nursued in his way his enthusiasm 2016 © The American Alpine Club. All rights reserved I CONTACT US http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12193709200/Roger-W-Toll-1883-1936 1/3 5/22/2016 Roger W. Toll, 1883-1936 - AAC Publications - Search The American Alpine Journal and Accidents In North American Mountaineering development. He originated the club's system of trip reports and designed the club's peak register cylinders, which are now widely used in the Rocky Mountain region. He compiled and edited the "Data on Colorado Mountaineering" which, in 1915, for the first time made available a mass of information relating to this subject. Later he wrote "Mountaineering in the Rocky Mountain National Park," a bulletin published by the government in 1919, and another work on "The Mountain Peaks of Colorado," published by the Colorado Mountain Club in 1923. Many other publications and activities give evidence of Toll's active interest in mountaineering. Toll was a man of magnificent physique, and as was said of him many years ago truly he had "heart and spirit to match." That he was a great leader was in no small measure because he was himself unfailingly sincere and considerate, and his staff gave him in return a loyalty of a kind all too rare. F. M. F Like Be the first of your friends to like this. This AAJ article has been reformatted into HTML. Please contact us if you spot an error. Recently Updated 1. Reinhold Pussycat 2. Dean Potter, 1972-2015 3. Breitinden, North Face, The Ice Princess 4. Avalanche 5. Ulamertorsuaq, Piteraq, Nearly Free Ascent 6. Jacobsen Fjord, Peak 1,092m More From This Edition 1. Nanda Devi 2. Devil: The Life Story of a Chamois in the Austrian 3. Mts. Monarch, Silverthrone, and the Klinkaklini Glacier 4. John Gresham Machen, 1881-1937 5. Europe, Italy, Piz Popena 6. Europe, Piz Buin Comments 0 comments http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12193709200/Roger-W-Toll-1883-1936 2/3 5/22/2016 Rocky Mounain National Park: A History (Chapter 6) Wintertime in the national Rocky Mountain playground. (RMNPHC) Having established some trends toward development and tasting a controversy or two, Superintendent Way decided to return to cattle ranching in Arizona. He resigned on October 24th, 1921. Succeeding L. Claude Way was Roger W. Toll, a popular man who was able to soothe local tempers, resolve a few disputes, and at the same time make National Park Service policies more effective. Throughout the 1920s, Roger Toll committed himself to making Rocky Mountain National Park even more popular with the public. Born in 1883, Toll was the son of a Denver attorney. Like other Denverites, Roger Toll spent much of his youth exploring the Rockies nearby. His knowledge of Colorado contributed to his popularity among residents of Estes Park and Grand Lake. After obtaining a civil engineering degree from Columbia University in 1906, Toll spent a year traveling around the world. He worked in Massachusetts and Alaska prior to returning to Colorado where he became chief engineer of Denver's tramway company. When the Colorado Mountain Club organized in 1912, Toll joined as a charter member. In the years that followed, he compiled a guidebook about his hobby, later published as Mountaineering in Rocky Mountain National Park. That book caught the attention of National Park Service Director Stephen Mather. In 1919, Mather asked Toll to become superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park. There Toll proved to be a good administrator, an active mountain climber, and a leader in such local organizations as the Mountaineers. In 1921 he accepted the appointment of superintendent at Rocky Mountain National Park. Among dozens of people voicing enthusiasm for Rocky Mountain National Park during the 1920s, Roger Wescott Toll was probably the most prominent. Being an adventurous mountain climber, Toll rambled throughout the range, taking photographs and making notes, ascending one peak after another. As an active writer Toll produced numerous articles about the Park and became the Park's chief publicist. He wrote promotional stories describing Park scenes, telling potential tourists what they might find. His articles suggested new development projects, convincing the public that the National Park https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap6.htm 19/29 5/22/2016 Rocky Mounain National Park: A History (Chapter 6) Service had its welfare in mind. He explored historical topics and described recreational opportunities. His themes helped inform and educate the public, always making Rocky Mountain National Park look exciting and attractive to the potential tourist. In Roger Toll, national park idealism found both a practitioner and a spokesman. "Along with the recreational value of the parks," he wrote, reflecting his own mountaineering experience, "is their health giving value and their inspirational value." He observed: "It has been said that great views create great thoughts and great thoughts create great men." [27] Toll tried mixing his publicity with a philosophy both practical and hopeful. Under Roger Toll's guidance, Rocky Mountain National Park entered its modern stage as a center for wide-ranging recreational activities. Although rigorous mountain climbing and hiking were among Toll's favorite pastimes, he also recognized that some people might find a mere automobile ride along the Fall River Road equally inspiring. Staying at a lodge within or near the Park, whether at F. W. Byerly's Bear Lake Camp or at Mrs. McPherson's Moraine Lodge or at one of several dozen other resorts, remained the classic way to enjoy the region. Camping at spots such as Aspenglen, Pineledge, Glacier Creek, or Endovalley, all developed by 1926, became more popular as visitors sought both inexpensive outdoor vacations and a campfire. By 1922, ranger-naturalists were conducting "all-day nature study trips" in an effort to provide an educational dimension to national park visits. Evening talks proved to be instantly popular, with lantern slides adding a visual treat. The public gave the naturalists encouraging reviews, expressing an even greater desire "for more accurate and complete knowledge with reference to natural history subjects." [28] A variety of new books helped answer an increasing demand for information, covering subjects as diverse as geology, birds, plants, Indians, and mountaineering. Newly produced maps also appeared. A curious public arriving with probing minds stimulated many avenues of research and education. Roger Toll also managed an ambitious building program. A new administrative office appeared in 1923, along with a machine shop, a warehouse, a mess hall, and dwellings for National Park Service employees. The main Park utility area started taking shape. Camps for road workers were built at Horseshoe Park and Willow Park; checking stations were placed at the Fall River and Grand Lake entrances. Ranger stations were built at Twin Owls, Bear Lake, Fern Lake, and Horseshoe Park to augment older stations like those at Pole Creek and Mill Creek which had been inherited from the Forest Service. Shelter cabins at Fall River Pass and on Longs Peak were also constructed. Backed by steadily increasing National Park Service appropriations, Roger Toll helped produce a plethora of projects, all viewed as helpful or necessary steps toward progress. Of course Superintendent Toll was not the sole advocate of building for the future. National Park Service planners contributed many ideas. And most of Toll's contemporaries applauded these many developments. Local businessmen, newspapers, and politicians welcomed any federal effort to increase the popularity of the Park. Very few people worried about overdeveloping the region or introducing too many comforts of civilization into an area also intended as a wilderness preserve. As early as 1922, however, Assistant Park Service Director Horace Albright responded to an expressed fear of "over-development of the National Parks in the future by too many roads, hotels, etc." Albright reported that the national park superintendents "were unanimous in their belief that certain wild sections of every park should be forever reserved from any development except by trails, first because the National Parks are destined to soon be the only sections https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap6.htm 20/29 5/22/2016 Rocky Mounain National Park: A History (Chapter 6) of wilderness left in America, and second because wildlife thrives best in untouched wilderness." [29] Amid the bustle of construction, a few people still pondered the problem of preservation. Roger W. Toll, superintendent from 1921 until 1929, actively promoted and publicized the Park. As an active mountaineer he knew what the Park had to offer. As a practical park planner, he envisioned what the public would come to appreciate. (RMNPHC) Meanwhile, private enterprise surrounding the Park energetically prepared for the future too. Trends born in previous decades gained momentum. The 1920s saw numerous cabins built around Estes Park and Grand Lake. Additions came to many resorts. More shops and businesses catering to travelers sprouted. One classic example of resort development occurred on the Park's western slope, at a ranch site first called Holzwarth's Trout Lodge. John G. Holzwarth, a German immigrant, had been a successful Denver saloon-keeper until wartime Prohibition put him out of business. Around 1917, Holzwarth and his wife Sophia decided to move into the mountains, establishing a homestead along the Colorado River north of Grand Lake. There on the North Fork the Holzwarths and their three teenaged children cut timber, built a sawmill, and erected a cabin. Their original idea was to develop a ranch, raising both hay and horses. Trapping for furs and freight hauling helped bring in extra money. 21/29 https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap6.htm 5/22/2016 Rocky Mounain National Park: A History (Chapter 6) John Holzwarth helped cater to the tourists of the Twenties. His family's Holzwarth Trout Lodge became the Never Summer Ranch on the Park's western slope. In 1975 that famous dude ranch became part of the Park. (RMNPHC) In about 1920 a few of Mr. Holzwarth's "drinkin' friends" from Denver made a visit to the homestead to do some fishing. That group proved to be "so lazy and drunken that they even quarreled over the division of the fish." Once that bunch left for home, Mrs. Holzwarth and son Johnnie "rebelled" at having to cater to such ill-mannered people. Future guests, they insisted, would have to pay. They christened their homestead the Holzwarth Trout Lodge and began charging two dollars a day or eleven dollars per week. A dude ranch was born. Rental cabins soon offered visitors some rustic shelter and Mrs. Holzwarth provided filling meals. This infant business found a steady clientele and thrived, growing larger during the decade. The Never Summer Ranch, as it was called by 1929, continued as a prosperous example of the 1920s until it was purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 1974 and transferred to Rocky Mountain National Park in 1975. Dozens of other businesses similar to the services offered by the Holzwarths grew as more travelers explored the region. Not every Park visitor had a good time, however, regardless of people such as the Holzwarths or Superintendent Toll and his rangers. Sometimes nature proved to be a harsh host. In 1922 and again in 1923, for example, lightning struck hikers on Longs Peak. J. E. Kitts was killed outright by a strike as he stood on the summit. Ethel Ridenour, hiking to Chasm Lake, was hit by lightning, burned severely, rendered unconscious, and upon recovering, suffered the permanent loss of one eye. But accidents did not alter the popularity of climbing Longs Peak; in 1929 alone, more than sixteen hundred people signed the register at the summit. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap6.htm 22/29 5/22/2016 Rocky Mounain National Park: A History (Chapter 6) Superintendent Toll and the National Park Service fully recognized the dangers of mountain climbing. Yet all their advice and warnings sometimes went unheeded. In January of 1925, for example, Miss Agnes Vaille intended to become the first woman to scale the east face of Longs Peak in wintertime. Since the east face was an awesome challenge even in good summer weather, she tempted disaster. Vaille made three tries at the summit in the three previous months, failing each time. January found her more determined than ever, although "friends sought in vain to dissuade her from her plans." She found a companion in Walter Kiener "an experienced mountaineer of Switzerland." On Monday, January 12, 1925, they made that remarkable climb, achieving success by way of the Couloir, Broadway, and a chimney just west of Notch Chimney. But Vaille's hard-won victory was short lived. There on the summit, she and Kiener found the temperature at fourteen below zero and a wind "blowing a terrific gale." Quickly they descended along the easier north side. Soon after, fatigue started clouding her brain. According to Kiener, Agnes Vaille "insisted that she was SO sleepy and was going to take a rest and a short nap." Kiener went for help, but when a rescue party found her, she had already frozen to death. For his part, Kiener himself lost most of his fingers and toes as well as part of one foot to frostbite. And compounding the tragedy, Herbert Sortland, a volunteer member of the rescue team, disappeared while returning to Longs Peak Inn. His body was not found until February 27th. A local paper considered the unfortunate Sortland a "martyr to humanity." [30] Yet almost no one publicly criticized either Vaille or Kiener for attempting such a hazardous climb, even though they risked the lives of others. Perhaps people decided that Agnes Vaille had paid the ultimate price for her reckless adventure. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap6.htm 23/29 5/22/2016 The Denver Public Library EAD ProjectINTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Other Finding Aid : For location information, refer to the Denver Public Library Catalog. INTRODUCTION PROVENANCE: Some items were donated by an unidentified source prior to 2004. The remainder of the collection was donated in 2005 by Giles Toll, Roger Toll's grandson. ACCESS: The collection is open for research. OWNERSHIP: Records are the physical property of the Denver Public Library. PUBLICATION RIGHTS: All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis. PREFERRED CITATION: [Identification of item], Roger W. Toll Papers, CONS220, Conservation Collection, The Denver Public Library. SIZE: Number of Boxes: 1 (1 linear foot) Oversize: 1 OVBox, 1 OVFF LOCATION: CONS220 PROCESSED BY: Sally McDonald http://eadsrv.denverlibrary.org/sdx/pl/doc-tdm.xsp?id=CONS220_d0e35&fmt=text&base=fa 1/4 5/22/2016 The Denver Public Library EAD ProjectINTRODUCTION September 2013 PROJECT MANAGER: Abby Hoverstock BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Roger Wolcott Toll was born October 17, 1883 at 1801 Welton Street in Denver, Colorado. He was the second of four sons born to Charles Hansen Toll and Katherine Wolcott Toll. Roger's mother, Katherine, came to Colorado in the 1870s with four siblings. In 1901 Charles Toll suffered a fatal heart attack at his law office. That same year, Roger graduated from Denver's Manual Training High School. Roger Toll attended college at the University of Denver for a year before transferring to Columbia University in New York City. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1906, he began work with the Massachusetts State Board of Health. After resigning early in of 1908, he joined the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey to Alaska, where he surveyed the southern half of Cook Inlet. Toll returned to Denver in the later part of 1908 and began work for the Denver Tramway Company. On September 21, 1910, he married Marguerite Cass in Denver, Colorado. In 1916, he left his position as Chief Engineer to sell investment bonds for Sweet, Causey, Foster & Co. Active in mountaineering in Colorado, in 1912 he was one of twenty-four founding members of the Colorado Mountain Club, serving on its first board of directors. He was still involved with the club in 1915 when the Rocky Mountain National Park was established, and helped to edit the Data on Colorado Mountaineering report published that same year. He also occasionally wrote articles for the club's periodical, Trail and Timberline. In November 1917, Toll joined the United States Army as a Captain in the Ordnance Department where he met assistant director of the National Park Service, Horace Albright. Toll had risen to the rank of Major when he was discharged. After World War I, Horace Albright introduced Toll to Stephen Mather, director of the newly established National Park Service. Mather hired Toll to be Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park in 1919. Toll remained in the position for two years, and in June 1920, he claimed to be the first man to climb Mount Rainier. In 1921, Toll was promoted to Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park. As Superintendent, he worked to make park improvements, assisted with recovery and rescue efforts, and publicized conservation efforts. One of his greatest achievements was the advocacy and planning for the construction of Trail Ridge Road. When he researched and wrote The Mountain Peaks of Colorado in 1923, he determined the number of named peaks, their relative order of height, and named several mountains in the Park. In January 1925, he joined a search party to retrieve the remains of his cousin, Agnes Wolcott Vaille, who died on the mountain in a shelter, following a Long's Peak climbing accident. In 1929, Toll succeeded Horace Albright as Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. At Yellowstone, Toll worked to reduce the impact of visitors to the park's ecosystem. From 1929 to 1936 he made trips throughout the United States to evaluate proposed and existing locations for National Park and Monument status, creating extensive reports on each location he visited. http://eadsrv.denverlibrary.org/sdx/pl/doc-tdm.xsp?id=CONS220_d0e35&fmt=text&base=fa 2/4 5/22/2016 The Denver Public Library EAD ProjectINTRODUCTION On February 18, 1936, Toll was appointed one of six commissioners to negotiate with the Mexican government to form an international park area along the United States/Mexico border. On February 25, 1936, the six commissioners were traveling in two cars from Big Bend, Texas to Deming, New Mexico, to meet the Mexican delegation. The car Toll was driving was involved in a head-on collision. Toll, his passenger George Wright, Director of Wildlife Research for the Park Service, and a 17 year old driver of the other car were killed instantly. The other four members of the Commission witnessed the accident from a nearby vehicle. Roger and Marguerite had three children: Donald (born about 1923), Natalie (born about 1924), and Roger W., Jr. (born about 1927). Toll was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Baldwinsville, New York. His wife Marguerite passed away on Oct. 27, 1961, in Denver, Colorado, and is buried at Fairmont Cemetery. Toll was remembered as an avid mountain climber and conservationist. In 1941, the United States Board on Geological Names announced that a mountain near Trail Ridge Road to be named Mount Toll in his honor. Later, Toll Mountain in Big Bend National Park, Texas, was also named in his honor. SCOPE AND CONTENT : The collection consists of items related to the professional and personal life of Roger W. Toll. The collection partly reflects Toll's life between 1884 and 1896, however, the bulk of the collection covers his professional life between 1910 and 1936, specifically, his work in evaluating proposed and existing National Parks and Monuments. Included are official reports, news clippings, correspondence, scrapbooks, maps, and photographs. Very few personal items exist in the collection. Some items relate to his son Donald. SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL The Western History/Genealogy Department has additional collections with material related to Roger W. Toll and the organizations in which he played a leading role, including: Enos Mills Papers, 1896-1954: CONS250 National Parks Conservation Association Records, 1898-2003: CONS225 Rocky Mountain National Park Report, 1913: -M1403 SERIES 1 PROFESSIONAL 1920-1936 BOX 1 : The series comprises professional records for Roger W. Toll during his career with the National Park Service. The bulk of the series contains Toll's reports and evaluations of trips taken through the Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as his reports of both proposed and existing National Parks and Monuments. Some annotated manuscripts written by Toll have also been included. The original filing structure of the reports has been retained. SERIES 2 PERSONAL 1884-2004 BOX 1 : This series pertains to the Roger W. Toll's personal life, along with a few items from his son Donald. Items relate to Toll's experience during World War I, his early life, death and family. Included are correspondence, vital records, news clippings, programs, http://eadsrv.denverlibrary.org/sdx/pl/doc-tdm.xsp?id=CONS220_d0e35&fmt=text&base=fa 3/4 5/22/2016 The Denver Public Library EAD ProjectINTRODUCTION photographs, and Donald's elementary school assignments on nature. Also included are publications referencing Toll's life and work for conservation of natural areas. SERIES 3 OVERSIZE 1919-1972 OV BOX 1, OVFF 1 : This series consists of three items. The first is a scrapbook pertaining to Toll's professional career during his time at Rocky Mountain National Park. The scrapbook includes news clippings, correspondence, photographs, brochures and programs relating to developments at Rocky Mountain National Park, and the whole National Park system. The second item is a topographic map of the Rocky Mountain National Park with annotations made by Roger Toll marking his trips within the park; a report of these trips is located in Series 1. The final item is a newspaper discussing a reunion at Yellowstone National Park during its centennial year in 1972. SUBJECT ACCESS : : SUBJECT ACCESS - : Toll, Roger W. -- (Roger Wolcott), -- 1883-1936 -- Archives. Vaile, Lucretia, -- 1884-1976 -- Correspondence. Last, First, 1850-1924 -- Correspondence. Hiking -- Colorado -- Rocky Mountain National Park -- History. Trails -- Colorado -- Rocky Mountain National Park -- History. National parks and reserves -- United States -- History. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colo.) -- History. Correspondence. Office files. Official reports. Photographs. Scrapbooks. CONTAINER LIST SERIES 1 PROFESSIONAL AD SERIES 2 PERSONAL 4-D SERIES 3 OVERSIZE The Denver Public Library Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Project Made With PLEADE http://eadsrv.denverlibrary.org/sdx/pl/doc-tdm.xsp?id=CONS220_d0e35&fmt=text&base=fa 4/4