Mazamas was officially founded July 19, 1894 on the summit of Mount Hood by a group of 105 climbers. Members of the former Oregon Alpine Club, J. Francis Drake, Martin W. Gorman, Francis C. Little, William G. Steel, Charles H. Sholes, and Oliver C. Yocum, had planned the climb to found the new club and chosen the name on March 19. The climbers had responded to an advertisement in the Morning Oregonian of June 12, 1894 announcing a meeting at the summit. Soon after, members made pioneering climbs throughout Oregon and Washington.