While these numbers werestill small by later standards, it must be born in mind that most publicuse was concentrated in the southwest quarter of the park and that onlyone or two rangers were assigned to patrol this area during the samespan of years. In 1915, the firstfull summer season in which travel to Europe was interrupted by WorldWar I, the number of visitors leaped to 34,814. The total number of visitors climbed from 1,786 in 1906 (the firstyear that the park staff kept an official count) to 7,754 fouryears later to 15,038 four years after that. Rising visitor use and publicdemand for services set the pace for the park's development. Even as the federalgovernment began to establish the rudiments of a park administration andto construct a park road after 1904, it remained a step behind thevisiting public and local entrepreneurs.

Before the park had any regulations inplace or a ranger staff to enforce them, local entrepreneurs descendedon the park to offer visitors guide services and saddle horses, tentaccommodations at Paradise Park and hotel accommodations at LongmireSprings, and a variety of other amenities.

The national park designation addedto Mount Rainier's local renown and led more campers and sightseers toseek out its highcountry meadows. The establishment of the nation's fifth national park was a localrather than a national news story.

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