Electric Forest

Superintendent of Lighting J.D. Ross wanted visitors to believe that anything was possible with electricity, including heating the ground to accommodate tropical plants such as banana and palm trees. In the wilds of the North Cascades, exotic orchids were planted along the pathways, which were illuminated at dusk by colored lights. What appears inappropriate by today’s standards—light fixtures and wires hanging from live trees—was once a symbol of progress and a celebration of electricity in everyday life. Remnants of this historic lighting system remain in Ladder Creek Falls and Gardens.

Washington · United States