retrorewind
Marge Mueller was an avid outdoorsperson who became interested in our region’s mountains soon after moving to Washington in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Marge joined Seattle Mountain Rescue, and there she met Ted Mueller. Soon after, their mutual friend Ira Spring invited them to be photography models on a climbing trip to Mount Baker. Matching male climbers stride for stride, she often dangled from belay while wearing attire fit for publication. Marge completed countless climbs and hikes with an unmistakable style, wit, and flair captured by Ira in many of his classic images. Often the only woman in her climbing groups, it also fell to Marge to prepare meals at the end of the day. While everyone else relaxed around camp, Marge could be found whipping up a hot meal, with her patented handmade mountain ice cream for dessert. Marge credited her upbringing with two brothers on a commercial farm in Iowa for her strong sense of self and determination. In the 1950s, her parents built a public swimming pool on their property, which strongly fed Marge’s athletic interests. These lessons learned and skills developed at a young age contributed to her success in a field dominated by men.
A style all her own
Marge Mueller on Mt. Challenger in 1966. Photo courtesy of Heidi Mueller.
Marge Mueller Pioneering illustrator and guidebook artist By Christine Clifton-Thornton, Former Mountaineers Books Editor Marge Mueller, author, co-author, book designer, mapmaker, illustrator, and lifetime member of The Mountaineers, passed away in September at the age of 84.
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any think of Mountaineers Books as synonymous with outdoor legends like Fred Beckey, Harvey Manning, Ira Spring, and others whose guidebooks were published to much acclaim and who inspired a new generation of writers and photographers. There is, however, one woman— an established Pacific Northwest author in her own right—who helped make so much of the success of their work possible.
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mountaineer | winter 2021
Marge and Ted married in 1966, which turned into a landmark year for the newlywed couple. Marge graduated from the University of Washington with a BFA in Commercial Design and became a commercial illustrator for Boeing. Also in 1966, the original 100 Hikes in Western Washington, the granddaddy of all Pacific Northwest hiking guides, was published by Mountaineers Books. Written by Louise Marshall, with Ira and his twin brother Bob credited as photographers, Marge was the book’s illustrator. 100 Hikes sold out the initial press run in only a few weeks, and spawned the series of 100 Hikes books published by Mountaineers Books that continues to this day. An avid cartographer, Marge used an artistic interpretation of contextual elevation and detail in the 100 Hikes series, a style that later became her trademark. Marge’s signature style continues to have an influence on adventure writing, illustration, and art in the outdoor industry today. Also in 1966, Harvey Manning, already renowned as the first editor of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, joined Ira and Marge on Mount Rainier to document what would later become the popular 50 Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park book. While Harvey and Ira became known as the grandfathers of outdoor guidebooks, it was Marge’s innate outdoor knowledge, design expertise, and frank communication skills that drove the design, look, and feel of their books. She also heavily supported many other titles that created the early lexicon of today’s outdoor and natural history of the Pacific Northwest. Fred Beckey arrived on Mountaineers Books’ publishing list in 1965 with a guide to Leavenworth climbing areas. The first of what later became a three-volume set known as Beckey’s Bibles, Cascade Alpine Guide: Columbia River to Stevens Pass, was published in 1973. Marge took over designing Fred’s books in 1977. Marge’s ability to wrangle both Fred and Harvey’s work into orderly submissions fit for publication was not only
