Picture a massive boulder. This is Wedgwood Rock. It stands silently in a residential area.
Wedgwood Rock has quite a story. It’s not from around here. Dr. Terry Swanson confirmed its mineral makeup doesn’t match its surroundings. This makes it an erratic.
Imagine this rock traveling. It journeyed south during the Ice Age. Its origin is likely Fidalgo Island. That’s near Anacortes. That’s about 75 miles north of Seattle. Interestingly Wedgwood Rock has a sibling. It’s Big Rock. Big Rock sits on Whidbey Island. Both likely came from the same source.
Let’s jump back in time. White settlers first took note of Wedgwood Rock in 1881. They wrote to the Daily Intelligencer newspaper. They described their Fourth of July picnic. It was quite the patriotic celebration. The picnickers even brought a ladder. This allowed people to climb to the top. They called it Lone Rock. It sat on William Weedin’s property.
Now, fast forward to the 1890s. Wedgwood Rock became a field trip destination. Professor Edmond Meany took his University of Washington students there. He explained how ice and water moved the rock.
Professor Meany joined The Mountaineers in 1908. He later led the group for 27 years. Through The Mountaineers, Wolf Bauer started teaching outdoor skills in 1929. Mountain sports became his passion.
At 16, Wolf Bauer became a Boy Scout den leader. He taught climbing and skiing. Wolf translated German training manuals. He took his Scouts to Big Rock. He surrounded the base with mattresses. Then Wolf taught rope work and route planning.
By 1935, Wolf Bauer created a seven-week climbing course. Students made climbing guides. These guides detailed routes and safety. The first practice sessions always happened at Big Rock.
Wolf Bauer and The Mountaineers began a climbing tradition. Fred Beckey also trained on Big Rock. Lloyd Anderson taught him. Anderson was a graduate of Wolf Bauer’s climbing course. Beckey became famous for climbing the unclimbable. Jim and Lou Whittaker also practiced on Wedgwood Rock. This was in the 1940s and 1950s.
After William Weedin left, the Miller family acquired the property. Winlock Miller owned the property in the 1920s. He was also a member of The Mountaineers. Wolf Bauer wanted The Mountaineers to buy the property. He envisioned a campground for Scouts and Mountaineers. But the property remained undeveloped.
In the 1940s, Albert Balch bought the land. He was a builder. His Wedgwood housing tracts gave the neighborhood its name. Balch renamed it Wedgwood Rock. The rock was never officially a park. Houses were built close around it. Now the Rock technically belongs to Seattle.
While no one climbs Wedgwood Rock now it remains. It stands as a reminder. It marks the history of outdoor exploration in the Pacific Northwest. So next time you pass by take a moment. Remember the Ice Age. Think of the climbers. Reflect on the history held within Wedgwood Rock.