Schurman Rock
Posted by: 
jtcoffee
N 47° 33.287 W 122° 22.410
10T E 547134 N 5267009
The first artificial climbing rock in North America!
Waymark Code: WM16X2X
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 10/21/2022
Views: 1
First called Monitor Rock, this structure was built between 1938-1939.
Written by Jeff Smoot:
Completed in 1939, Schurman Rock is the oldest known purpose-built artificial climbing wall in the world. Designed by Clark Schurman, a scout leader and climbing guide, and built stone-by-stone under his careful supervision by Civilian Conservation Corps workers, the rock has stood for more than eighty years on a wooded hilltop in a corner of Camp Long, a 68-acre park that many Seattle residents don’t know is there.
Originally called Monitor Rock but later renamed, Schurman Rock was designed to teach mountaineering skills to Boy Scouts and other youth groups, and young climbers including Fred Beckey and Jim and Lou Whittaker learned to climb here, but standing over 20 feet tall and 100 feet around, its utility as a training ground for grown-up climbers was not overlooked by the Mountaineers, who taught basic climbing skills here for decades.
To log this Waymark:
Upload a photo of the climbing rock
Estimated Height: 20 ft
Membership Required: no
Belay Staff Available: no
Equipment Rental: no
Hours of operation: Not listed
Classes Available: Not Listed
Climbing Wall/Gym Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
No specific requirements are needed to visit a Waymark in this Category. It would be great if people could take a picture or two, especially if it's of you on the wall.