This first month of the 2025 New Year is all about throwback in the National Park System, with a little added trivia.

Did you know that when Paradise Inn opened for business in 1917 up at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State, there were tent cabins there, too? According to Mount Rainier Guest Service's history page for the Paradise Inn:

"In early 1895, a coffee shop called the Paradise Hotel and a tent camp were established providing services to the ever-increasing numbers of people visiting the area, and in 1898; John L. Reese combined the two operations and name it Camp of the Clouds. Although visitors were generally satisfied with the camp, they wanted nicer accommodations and the demand for better sanitation increased in 1911, the first full season that it was possible to take horse-drawn vehicles all the way to the Camp of the Clouds. As the need increased for a hotel and other services in the Paradise area, a corporation of local Tacoma businessmen from Tacoma formed the Rainier National Park Company (RNPC) and began construction of the Paradise Inn. John Reese sold his camp to RNPC in 1916 to house construction crews as they worked on the new first-class Paradise Inn. In spite of the short construction season, the crew nearly completed the Paradise Inn during the summer of 1916 at an initial cost of $91,000, not including furnishings or equipment." The tent cabins were ultimately removed in 1930.