Desert Peaks Section Angeles Chapter Sierra Club

-Photo from Chester Versteeg Collection
Angeles Chapter Archives

Chester Versteeg (d.)
Active in the DPS: 1941-1959
Sierra Club Activity: 1913-1959 Local Hikes; DPS (founder); RCS
Chester joined the Southern California Section shortly after its founding in 1911. He was instrumental in constructing Muir Lodge in 1913 and was attributed to have spent 40 days and 40 nights of continuous labor on this first mountain home of the chapter. He founded the Desert Peaks Section in 1941. Throughout his long career he worked with the Board on Geographic Names to officially name dozens of features in the Sierra Nevada-including peaks lakes and meadows. In 1987 the Angeles Chapter created an award for outstanding leadership and named it after Chester Versteeg.
Chester is DPS Emblem #1

Werner Collection
Angeles Chapter Archives

The earliest known photograph of a Desert Peaks Section outing is this one taken by Niles Werner of a group he led up Waucoba Peak with co-leader and DPS founder Chester Versteeg on June 6-7 1942 (the third outing of the DPS). L to R: Parker Severson* Fred Johnson Martin Britt* Harry Paley Rhoda Goertz Freda Walbrecht* Chester Versteeg* Jim Tow and unidentified man.

(*) Denotes Great Leader from the Honor Roll

	Chester Versteeg (with saw) working on Muir Lodge Fall 1912. Versteeg was said to have literally worked 40 days and 40 nights on the construction of Muir Lodge.
Group of Muir Lodge construction workers having lunch. Phil Bernays presides at the head of the table. Sitting on near side left to right are Charles Fox (mustache) Chester Versteeg (close-cropped hair) unidentified woman.

S I E R R A C L U B C H R O N O L O G Y T H R U 2 0 0 6

1939	Member - Publicity Committee
1940	Member - Publicity Committee
1941	Joined the Desert Peaks Section
1941	DPS Emblem
1941	Member - Publicity Committee
1941	Member - State Parks Committee
1942	Member - Publicity Committee
1943	Member - Publicity Committee
1944	Member - Publicity Committee
1945	Member - Publicity Committee
1946	Other Officer - Desert Peaks Section
1946	Member - Publicity Committee
1959	Last year active in the Desert Peaks Section