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2002
January 21 2002 An unusual combination of snow conditions set up conditions that buried four people out on the East Road, 2.5 miles from Park Head Quarters, on the backside of Garfield and Applegate peaks. Ranger Randy Benham, Ski patroller Bill Bloom of Sprague River and day skiers Kris Fischer and Rick Ward of Klamath Falls while out searching for two missing Round the Rim snow campers.
By Kevin Bacher- It was a 21 and 24-year-old couple (engaged) from Portland who started a ski trip around the Lake last Thursday (January 17), planned to be out Saturday. WE had a big storm (4 feet in 5 days) that came in on Saturday and delayed them, then the avalanche danger got really bad and when they got caught in a mini-avalanche they decided to dig in and wait for the storm to pass. It finally did, and they almost skied out yesterday before we met up them about Vidae Falls. By the time we had sno-cats out on the north and south sides of the lake and about 23 people committed to the search, including 2 from Lassen, 3 from Rainier, and 1 from the Umpqua NF.
The biggest event of the search happened on Monday – the first day they really searched seriously – when, in the midst of the blizzard, 4 people got caught in a major avalanche just east of the old Crater Peak Trailhead. It was Randy Benham, one of our seasonal rangers, Bill Bloom from the ski patrol, and two visitors who were skiing along with them. Randy and one of the visitors came out of the avalanches with their heads out and dug themselves out fairly quickly, then found the other visitor soon after. Bill was under the snow for almost half an hour. Was had begun to losing consciousness before he was found. Fortunately he was wearing an avalanche beacon, or they wouldn’t have found him in time. They took him to the hospital for observation overnight, but everyone came out OK except for being sore.
Last night, when they brought the skiers out by sno-cat via Pinnacles Road to avoid the area where the avalanche occurred on Monday. It was clear and clear and stunningly beautiful, one of those incredible Crater Lake nights. Now they are talking about another major winter storm coming in tonight, with 1 -2 feet of snow. We had 118 inches on the ground as of yesterday morning. We’re all grateful Dave and Kate are back out safely. Kate’s father had come up from California and got here about 45 minutes before they were found. He spent the night in the ski patrol house, and Dave and Kate are rustling around in our guest room downstairs. Kevin
January 24 2002 Avalanche ‘hit me like a rip tide’
Buried by a wall of snow, Crater Lake ski patroller seeking a pair of lost skiers suddenly needed rescuing himself By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune
Bill Bloom had already said his goodbyes.
He barely had time to make an air pocket in front of his face before the avalanche buried him. He knew his oxygen was disappearing because he was losing consciousness.
On his radio, he could hear people talking as they searched for him, but he couldn’t tell them they were looking in the wrong place.
Bloom was skiing familiar terrain at Crater Lake National Park Monday when he and three other cross-country skiers were swept away by a wave of tumbling snow. Bloom and his partner, park ranger Randy Benham of Grants Pass, were looking for a Portland couple who were two days overdue on a cross-country ski trip around Crater Lake. Two Klamath Falls skiers, Kris Fisher and Richard Ward, out for a day trip, joined the search.
The two Portland skiers, Kate Gassford and Dave Schuller, were found late Wednesday near Vidae Falls, about three miles east of park headquarters – not so far from where the searchers were carried away two days earlier. Bloom shared his story from his home late Wednesday.
Bloom, 53, was skiing through country he knew well when the avalanche let go. A resident of Sprague River and a member of the Crater Lake Ski Patrol, he had skied the East Rim Drive hundreds of times. Bloom was in the lead as they skied single file, looking for the overdue skiers.
Storms had dumped three feet of snow over the past few days. The searchers had reached the trailhead to Crater Peak when Bloom heard Benham cry out and looked up to see a wall of snow rushing toward him.
“It made very little noise, but it hit me like a rip tide,” he said.
He barely had time to bring his hands in front of his face to make a little air pocket before the snow buried him and everything went quiet.
“I could see light in front of me,” he said. “I thought maybe I was down maybe a foot or a foot and a half.”
He thought to dig himself free, but he couldn’t move his hands. His wrists were attached to the straps of his ski poles. The poles were stuck in the snow.
“I couldn’t get my hands out of the straps,” he said. “I couldn’t move. I was trapped there looking at the light. My heart was hammerin’, and I was hyperventilating. I knew I had to slow down and conserve oxygen. I was talking to myself, but I wasn’t listening.”
Soon he heard Benham’s familiar voice on his Park Service radio. “Thank God,” Bloom recalled thinking, “Somebody got out.”
He couldn’t know that Benham and the others had been swept downhill from the road they had been following. When the snow stopped moving, Benham and Ward were partially buried, but able to free themselves.
They saw one set of ski tips, hurriedly dug out Fisher, and started looking for Bloom. Benham and Bloom were both wearing “avalanche beacons,” radio transmitters that emit a continuous signal for searchers to locate buried victims. As he had done in so many drills, Benham switched his beacon from “send” to “receive” and started looking for signals that would lead him to his friend.
Bloom could hear Benham cussing him for not turning on his avalanche beacon, but Bloom’s beacon was on. Benham’s receiver couldn’t locate Bloom because Benham was looking for Bloom where the snow had carried the others.
Bloom heard Benham say, “He’s not here. He’s somewhere between here and the road.”
By this time perhaps 20 minutes had passed. Bloom began to wander in and out of consciousness as his oxygen supply diminished and his body began to chill.
“If you’ve got to go,” he said, “hypothermia and too much CO-2 isn’t bad. You lose consciousness and fall asleep.”
Benham, Fisher and Ward worked quickly up the hill, poking the snow with ski poles and Benham’s long, slender avalanche probe, trying to strike Bloom’s body under in the snow.
As Bloom was drifting off, he felt something like a poke. Then he felt another poke, this time in the elbow, hard enough to register pain.
“I do believe in a higher power,” he said, “and I said, ‘Dear God, let that probe come down one more time.’ ”
A probe came down again, right in front of his hand.
“I grabbed it, and said I’m not letting go till they dig me out.”
Benham, Fisher and Ward dug down six feet to reach him. Benham fed him warm liquids to rewarm his body, and he skied out under his own power. Bill drove himself to a Klamath Falls hospital and spent the night, but suffered no major injuries.
He credited luck and Benham’s experience in mountain rescue skills, for saving his life and Fisher’s. “If Randy hadn’t been there and been spit out, at least two of us would have been toast.”
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The following account was Published in Guideposts (http://www.guideposts.com)
Avalanche! By volunteer ski patroller Bill Bloom
I checked my ski boots and took a wary look at the gray, wintry sky. Dime-size snowflakes had been coming down for two days now to the tune of about three feet of fresh powder at Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park. Great for recreational skiers, but those of us on the park’s volunteer ski patrol had to be on alert. Weather like this could mean search-and-rescue operations—everything from lost skiers to trapped avalanche victims. The challenge, as always, was to reach people while they were still alive.
I felt at home in the park. I’d hiked here for 30 years, and was proud to be part of the ski patrol. We’re required to put in a minimum of three weekends a season, but I usually did eight to 10. Call it gratitude. In truth, I had no business being here at all. I’d been shot down over enemy territory while a helicopter gunner in Vietnam—twice. Worse, I drank and used drugs. Addiction took over my life. It poisoned my relationships. It had me helpless, completely at its mercy. As good as dead, really. Then, 14 years ago, I discovered something that changed everything. I’d been living clean and sober ever since, grateful for each new day of life, grateful as a prisoner on death row who had gotten a reprieve.
“Bill!” Randy, a park ranger and patroller, called. “Got a report of a Jeep parked in one of the extended-ski-trip areas. Belongs to a couple whose trip permit says they were going to ski around the lake. They should have been back two days ago.”
Two days. A long time in this cold and snow.
Crater Lake is six miles wide. Circling it is a 33-mile trip, at least. “Let’s go,” I said. We strapped on our cross-country skis, put on our gloves and shouldered our backpacks, loaded with 32 pounds of first-aid supplies and survival equipment. We’d already made sure our radios and avalanche beacons had fresh batteries.
It was 10:14 a.m. when we set out for the trailhead. From there we would make our way to East Rim Road. That was their return route, according to the backcountry permit.
We didn’t see any tracks, only virgin snow. It was up to our knees, too deep and too powdery to ski, so Randy and I had to lift each leg and stomp down to break a trail. Going was slow and tough, and with such a substantial snowfall, we had to keep an eye out—or rather, an ear—for an avalanche. (You can sometimes hear one start, a low sound that seems to come from everywhere.) But breaking trail was also exhilarating. I had skied this area hundreds of times, and never tired of it. Hemlocks and ponderosa pines shot up as high as 200 feet. I felt blessed to be dwarfed by such natural beauty. Again, call it gratitude, but one day at a time I was glad to be alive.
Randy and I took turns doing the exhausting work. We talked to take our minds off our effort. Randy had worked search-and-rescue a lot longer than my six years at Crater Lake. I peppered him with questions. He asked me all sorts of things about Vietnam. I told him my story, even though I wasn’t proud of my past. Too many wasted years. It felt good to talk, though. Especially in the utter backwoods silence. Good to hear how far God had brought me.
“Think those two are okay?” I asked Randy after a while.
“I hope so. But if they got caught in an avalanche, we might not find ’em till spring.”
Two hours we’d been slogging through snow. No sign of the lost skiers. I said a silent prayer for their safety.
At about 12:15 p.m. I heard noise behind us and felt a surge of hope. Randy and I stopped. Two guys skied our way. “Hey, thanks for clearing a path,” one of them called out.
Their names were Kris and Rick. Not the folks we’d been looking for. The guys were experienced skiers and offered to join us in the search. Now there were four of us to break trail.
Two miles out, our path rounded sharply north. That’s when I heard it. Whumpf. The snow shook under my feet. Usually that only happened right before a slide or an avalanche.
We stopped. To our left, a rocky outcropping maybe 50 feet high, a smooth face of snow about 300 feet wide and some trees. To our right was the road’s edge and a substantial drop-off. No signs of any fissures or slides in the snow to our left, so we didn’t gear down—loosen our backpacks and bindings and take the ski-pole straps off our wrists—to give us a better chance of surviving an avalanche. Everything looked fine. I took over the lead.
Suddenly Randy yelled, “Here it comes!”
I turned. The snow between the outcropping and the trees broke loose. It moved toward us like a silent wave. I took a step. A flash of white hit me. My feet and skis were instantly covered in snow. I couldn’t move out of the way. My survival training flashed through my mind. Fifteen minutes. That was about the longest a person could survive buried in an avalanche.
Take a deep breath. Turn in the direction the slide is heading. See if you can ride down with it.
The snow rose to my waist. All I could manage was to twist my torso. Make an air pocket. I sucked in a lungful of air and got my hands up to my face. A tremendous roar now. Snow engulfed me, wrenching my upper body while my lower body remained firmly in place. I thought I’d be torn in half.
The pounding snow forced out the breath I’d taken. I sucked in again. An icy-hot sensation rippled through my chest. I’d gotten snow in my lungs.
Everything came to a stop. My heart hammered. Air. I need air. I’d managed to keep my hands up by my face, but my poles were still strapped to my wrists, like shackles. I could only bend my wrists and move my fingers. The poles anchored my arms so I couldn’t move them. All around me was pitch-black, except straight ahead. There I saw a faint light blue. I clawed at the snow, carving out a small space to breathe. I hacked a few times to get my lungs clear. The snow squeezed me like a vise. I could only get small breaths. And those were coming too fast. Calm down! I told myself. You’ll run out of air.
The radio around my neck squawked. “Avalanche. Four involved.” Randy! “I’m out. Moving to the other three.”
Thank God. Randy got out. He’ll find me. If only I could call him on the radio. Every time I tried to move my arms, I could feel my bones shift, but the flesh around them didn’t budge. It was like being trapped in cement.
Randy kept talking to dispatch. He told them one was buried to his chin and digging himself out. Then he said, “We’re digging out the third.”
What about me? I thought. I’d been under for at least 15 minutes. I couldn’t hear the radio anymore. The patch of blue before me grew fuzzy.
I’m going to die. I was powerless to save myself. But I wasn’t afraid, not like I’d been in Vietnam, or when I was drunk and high. I’d been powerless then too. Sobriety, and the 12 Steps to recovery I’d followed for 14 years, had taught me to accept powerlessness and rely on God’s will. Now, more than ever, I would have to.
I pictured Randy, somewhere up there searching for me. I knew how he felt. Please don’t blame yourself, buddy.
I thought of Carol, my fiancé. I wouldn’t get the chance to say good-bye to her. I love you, Carol, I said in my mind. You’re one of the best things that happened to me. God will watch over you.
I didn’t feel the cold anymore. Instead, I felt peace. So many good things had happened in recovery. I’d gotten my career back, made good friends, found true love. I’d been living on borrowed time. No, not borrowed. A gift. Bonus time. I had been entombed in my addiction as surely as I was entombed in this snow. If I were to die now, I wanted to die thanking God for the life he had given me. New life. As my mind began to fade, I prayed: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.
Blackness. I don’t know for how long. A nudge on my back. Am I dead? Hallucinating? Something jabbed my left elbow. Hard. Sometimes pain is the only thing that lets us know we’re alive. Someone was up there looking for me with a probe.
Just one more time, Lord. Let them poke through again. Something moved close by my left hand. I grabbed on. A ski pole! I yanked it. That pole is not coming out unless I’m attached to it!
Hands broke through the snow and air rushed down. It tasted so sweet. Kris and Rick got me to safe ground and wrapped me in blankets.
“Bill, you were under for 40 minutes,” Randy said incredulously. “Forty minutes! How did you . . .?” He left his question hanging. Someday we would have another long talk and I would explain it to him then.
I wanted to keep searching, but the park chief ranger ordered both of us to get checked out at the hospital. Later the two lost skiers would be found alive. But right then I headed back toward base, savoring every breath of fresh air as if it were a miracle. I couldn’t wait to see Carol and tell her how much I loved her. How much I loved the life I’d been given again, one day, one minute at a time.
January 29 2002 Xanterra Parks and Resorts becomes the Park’s concessionaire. The Estey Corporation (or their holding entity the Crater Lake Company) chose not to continue as concessionaire beyond 10/31/01 and did not bid on the concession contract won by Amfac (later called Xanterra), which the NPS advertised a prospectus starting on 6/28/01. The public announcement of a change in concessionaire came on 1/29/02. The purchase of assets was that of a leasehold interest, which as is usually happens, went to the lawyers and a settlement was reached. The NPS was able to retire some of this interest through a financial consideration on structures such as the Cafeteria and Rim Dormitory, though these have been leased back to the concessionaire for the time being. (from Steve Mark, Park Historian, August 25, 2016)
The park’s long-time concessionaire, Crater Lake Lodge, Inc., quit providing services at the park on Wednesday. The company had operated the park’s concession services, including the Crater Lake Lodge, Rim Village cafeteria-gift shop, facilities at Mazama Village, campgrounds and boat tours since 1976. (H&N)
January 31 2002 Amfac (soon to be known as Xanterra) selected to be the new concessionaire at Crater Lake.
Amfac is the largest operator of National and State park concessions in the country. The company beat out three other bidders. The company is known for what it calls “environmentally friendly tourism.” The Park Service picked Amfac based on several factors, including its performance in other parks, its financial backing and its ability to serve visitors at reasonable rates.
March 6 2002 Effective Immediately! Crater Lake Lodge, Inc. doing business as Crater Lake
Company has been the concessionaire for Crater Lake National Park for over 30 years. We are going out of business and request that you close all charge accounts. Please make note that The Crater Lake Company will not be responsible for any charges that occur after today, March 6, 2002. Tana Bishop Controller
March 25 2002 An effort is mounted to have Dr. Doug Larson’s years of Crater Lake research recognized and included among the pantheon of researchers on display in the Sinnott Exhibit room. Dr. Doug spent over 25 doing Lake research, much of it as a volunteer or part-time as a NPS employee.
“It is well known that Doug’s research hypotheses have not always been positively received by the limological research team. Nevertheless, the proposition of alternative working hypotheses is crucial to the scientific method. In retrospect, Doug’s research and outspoken defense of his concerns regarding the potential degradation of optical properties of Crater Lake were crucial in the initiation of the long-term research and monitoring program presently underway at Crater Lake and the elimination of septic fields at Rim Village during the early 90s.” Dr. F.O. Hoffman
Spring 2002 Crater Lake General Management Plan is published in the form of a newsletter. Four alternatives are presented.
#1 No Action
#2 Emphasis on Research and Learning
#3 Emphasis on Enjoyment of the Natural Environment
#4 Emphasis on Preservation and Restoration of Natural Processes
May 2002 Reported in the Fort Meyers News Star: One day a group of friends were touring the lake in a rowboat, when Mrs. Mattie Hatcher looked over the side and saw something really big swimming underneath the boat. “That thing must have been a block long,” Mrs. Hatcher told a reporter for the Fort Meyers News-Star in May of 2002. “To me it looked like a dragon.”Frightened by what they had seen, Mrs. Hatcher and her friends rowed to shore and climbed to the top of the rim. They warned people about the monster living in the chilly depths of Crater Lake, but no one believed them. (The problem with this story is that rowboats were removed from Crater Lake in 1968.)
May 2002 Crater Lake National Park Celebrates 100 years. Planned Centennial Projects:
Construction of a Science and Learning Center – 2003; a new visitors center – 2005; rehab of the old Rim Village Cafeteria Building and the relocation of the Rim Parking lot – 2004.
Invitations were sent out to all former NPS and Lodge employees for the big celebration to be held on August 25. .
The dedication of the Richard McPike Brown Memorial Library located in the Steel Visitor Center. Few people have touched the lives of so many employees and visitors while working at CLNP as Richard Brown. He had his greatest impact in the areas of interpretation and research from 1952 to 1970, but also made lasting contributions toward building the contents of the Park’s library. At one time Dick’s personal book collection exceeded that of the Park’s. Dick passed away on May 31, 1998.
Crater Lake National Park Centennial ‘Let the celebration begin’ 1902-2002
Herald and News?Klamath Falls, Oregon?May 21, 2002?By LEE JUILLERAT
Let the celebration begin. ??Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of Crater Lake National Park. The birthday of the park, the nation’s sixth-oldest, will be celebrated statewide.
Superintendent Chuck Lundy will announce the formal start to a year-long centennial “True Blue Celebration” on Wednesday in the state capitol in Salem. ??Gov. John Kitzhaber will join in, declaring Wednesday as Crater Lake National Park Day in Oregon during ceremonies in Salem.
And, closer to home, a birthday reception is planned beginning at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Crater Lake Lodge for all visitors, employees and park friends. Entry to the park will be free with special “arrowhead” cookies. People at the park can also have cards and letters affixed with a special May 22 centennial postmark at the park post office. ??Lundy said the celebration is intended to honor the creation of the park, and to look toward the park’s next century. ??” ‘True Blue Forever’ is not just an opportunity to look back on and honor the park’s rich history, but also a time to focus on the vision for its future,” said Lundy. “Our vision is to preserve and protect the natural environment and beauty of the park for generations to come as well as promote the unique educational opportunities it offers.” ??Kitzhaber is also emphasizing the importance of protecting and conserving the lake and its surroundings. ??”Crater Lake National Park is a fascinating destination for tourists and travelers from across the nation and, as such, plays a vital role in the state’s economy,” said Kitzhaber. “But more importantly, the park is an 180,000-acre outdoor classroom for students of every age. This is why we must focus on the preservation of this most cherished natural resource.”
Letter of Thanks from the Brown Family – Ann, David, Dona, Erick
September 3, 2002 –
Dear Larry
You were spectacular (at the library dedication)!! If you ever apply for a job as an Emcee, list me as a reference. It was a very special time for us to have the library memorialized in Dick’s memory. My trip (after 32 years) was worth it. We were invited into the apartment we lived in to look around which was most thoughtful too. Love to Linda
Thanks for everything – you helped make the day. Affectionately, the BROWNS
(Ann Brown died, November 2004, while traveling in France.)
June 2002 When the employee dorm on Rim Village was opened for the season and the water system activated, the automatic sprinkling system ran for two days undetected creating a very soggy mess.
June 2002 GSA Bulletin; v. 114; no. 6; p. 675-692; © 2002 Geological Society of America
Morphology, volcanism, and mass wasting in Crater Lake, Oregon
Charles R. Bacon*,1, James V. Gardner2, Larry A. Mayer3, Mark W. Buktenica4, Peter Dartnell5, David W. Ramsey6 and Joel E. Robinson6
1 Volcano Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 910, Menlo Park, California 94025-3591, USA
2 Western Coastal and Marine Geology, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, M.S. 999, Menlo Park, California 94025-3591, USA
3 Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, University of New Hampshire, 24 Colovos Road, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
4 National Park Service, Crater Lake National Park, P.O. Box 7, Crater Lake, Oregon 97604, USA
5 Western Coastal and Marine Geology, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, M.S. 999, Menlo Park, California 94025-3591, USA
6 Volcano Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, M.S. 910, Menlo Park, California 94025-3591, USA
Crater Lake was surveyed nearly to its shoreline by high-resolution multibeam echo sounding in order to define its geologic history and provide an accurate base map for research and monitoring surveys. The bathymetry and acoustic backscatter reveal the character of landforms and lead to a chronology for the concurrent filling of the lake and volcanism within the ca. 7700 calibrated yr B.P. caldera. The andesitic Wizard Island and central-platform volcanoes are composed of sequences of lava deltas that record former lake levels and demonstrate simultaneous activity at the two vents. Wizard Island eruptions ceased when the lake was 80 m lower than at present. Lava streams from prominent channels on the surface of the central platform descended to feed extensive subaqueous flow fields on the caldera floor. The Wizard Island and central-platform volcanoes, andesitic Merriam Cone, and a newly discovered probable lava flow on the eastern floor of the lake apparently date from within a few hundred years of caldera collapse, whereas a small rhyodacite dome was emplaced on the flank of Wizard Island at ca. 4800 cal. yr B.P. Bedrock outcrops on the submerged caldera walls are shown in detail and, in some cases, can be correlated with exposed geologic units of Mount Mazama. Fragmental debris making up the walls elsewhere consists of narrow talus cones forming a dendritic pattern that leads to fewer, wider ridges downslope. Hummocky topography and scattered blocks up to 280 m long below many of the embayments in the caldera wall mark debris-avalanche deposits that probably formed in single events and commonly are affected by secondary failures. The flat-floored, deep basins contain relatively fine-grained sediment transported from the debris aprons by sheet-flow turbidity currents. Crater Lake apparently filled rapidly (ca. 400–750 yr) until reaching a permeable layer above glaciated lava identified by the new survey in the northeast caldera wall at 1845 m elevation. Thereafter, a gradual, climatically modulated rise in lake level to the present 1883 m produced a series of beaches culminating in a modern wave-cut platform, commonly 40 m wide, where suitable material is present. The new survey reveals landforms that result from intermediate-composition volcanism in rising water, delineates mass wasting and sediment transport into a restricted basin, and yields a more accurate postcaldera history leading to improved assessment of volcanic hazards. Key Words: bathymetry • calderas • Crater Lake • limnology • mass wasting • volcanology
June 19 2002 New boat docks are airlifted into the Lake by a Sikorsky Air Crane.
August 2002 Visit by Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton in honor of Crater Lake’s 100th celebration.
August 6 2002 President Bush cancels planned Centennial visit. This would have been the first presidential visit in the Park’s history. Superintendent Lundy had been in Washington, D.C. for a week making preparations for the August 22nd visit. The cancellation is a mixed blessing. A presidential visit would have locked the Park into controlled chaos and the Park Administration would had to have paid for much of the side expenses. There was much disappointment, but there was a collective sigh of relief.
August 11 2002 Star gazing party at Discovery Point. It was a magical night of wonder.
August 11 2002 Centennial Award goes to Crater Lake researcher Herald and News
Douglas Larson of Portland has been awarded the Centennial Award for Excellence in Scientific Research at Crater Lake National Park by the Crater Institute.
Larson is one of the lake’s most published limnological investigator. He became interested in the lake’s limnology as a Ph. D. candidate at Oregon State University in 1967. He was a limnological researcher during the mid-1970’s and 1980’s when he worked for the National Park Service as a “Volunteer in the Park.”
His work and findings, as well as the work of other investigators, are documented in recent Crater Lake Centennial articles written by Larson that were featured in the “Oregon Historical Quarterly” and “American Scientist” His research at Crater Lake is discussed in Rick Harmon’s recent book, “Crater Lake National Park, A History.”
Crater Lake is among the most transparent bodies of water in the world. Secchi disk readings extend well beyond 100 vertical feet.
A ceremony honoring Larson will be held Aug. 11 on the Rim. The Crater Lake Institute will establish the Douglas W. Larson Limnological Research Scholarship Fund that will be supported from donations from individuals and organizations interested in furthering independent scientific research on the limnology of Crater Lake.
August 10 2002 Central Dispatch receives a call that a “bloody body: had been discovered by a party unknown on the Crater Peak Trail. Several rangers investigate. But found nothing. Several miles of trails were checked. Then a cell phone call was received from a hysterical teenage girl that a “bloody body” had been found. The cell was an emergency one-way type phone. The dispatcher was not able to call back. Further searching revealed nothing. The case is still a mystery.
August 9/10 2002 Two park rangers are killed in the line of duty. A park policeman is run over in
Baltimore, MD by a drunk driver while investigating an accident. A second ranger is murdered by a Mexican smuggler while being pursued by Mexican police and American border patrol. NPS Ranger Kristopher William Eggle. Kris was the top of his law enforcement class of 2000. The shooter was killed by Mexican police. His companion was captured. The two were suspects in an execution of four Mexicans.
August 23 2002 Centennial Celebration Reception at Rim Village featuring a one-act play about William Steel’s 17-year struggle to get Crater Lake established as a national park. 7 p.m. Actor Les Muchmore playing the part of William Steel.
August 24 2002 Centennial Celebration Walking tour highlighting the history of Rim Village, 1 p.m.,
Dedication of new exhibits at Sinnott Overlook. Superintendent Lundy and Chief of Interpretation Marsha McCabe both spoke at the brief 10-minute ceremony. 2 p.m.
$425,000 spent on the new back room exhibit, including an animated depiction of the rise and fall of Mt. Mazama.
Dedication of the Richard McPike Brown Library – 12:00 noon – first at the Headquarters Building and then at the Steel Center.
When informed of the dedication plans to honor Dick Brown by dedicating the park library in his honor, Park Superintendent Chuck Lundy stated: “It is the right thing to do.”
August 25 2002 Sunday Free admission to Park. Entertainment at Rim Village. Rededication of the national park featuring National Park Service Director Fran Mainella and Oregon Youth Chorale and the Klamath Indian tribal dancers. 1 p.m. Unfortunately the Biscuit Fire burning in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area west of Grants Pass to the Oregon Coast, so filled the air with smoke, it was impossible to see across the Lake for weeks. Wizard Island was hidden from view much of the time. This natural disaster seriously lowered the expected crowd. The Biscuit Fire was the largest fire in Western Oregon in the 20th Century burning 500,000 acres. Sparked by a July 13 lightning storm in 2002, the Biscuit blaze was the largest and most expensive wildfire in the nation that year, with a cost of more than $154.8 million.
August 26 2002 ‘Rare jewel’ turns 100 Crater Lake National Park supporters celebrate centennial, rededicate stewardship
Associated Press
Crater Lake National Park marked the end of its first 100 years on Sunday by throwing open the gates for an open house and promising to use scientific research and education to protect one of the nation’s original natural crown jewels for 21st century.
Smoke from forest fires shrouded the dazzling blue lake inside a collapsed volcano so that it looked like a hand-tinted antique photograph, but did not diminish the enthusiasm of drummers and dancers from the Klamath Tribes, whose ancestors saw Mount Mazama erupt about 7,700 years ago, or the estimated 1,000 people attending ceremonies in the Rim Village parking lot.
“Crater Lake is a rare jewel born out of the furnace and fury of Nature’s sometimes destructive fires,” said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. “In this place we are reminded that nature can heal the land.”
Klamath Tribes Chairman Allen Foreman said he hoped the spirit of the creation of Crater Lake National Park would be used to heal the environmental degradation of the Klamath Basin from logging, agricultural pollution, and grazing.
The park’s centennial fell on May 22, but was celebrated Sunday, Founders Day in the National Park Service, so that the deep snows of the high Cascades would be melted. The Ashland City Band played marches, the Oregon Youth Chorale sang the National Anthem, and after all the speeches, visitors munched on cookies shaped like the arrowhead logo of the National Park Service.
The past century was honored with the restoration of four structures at Rim Village, which had deteriorated during decades of inadequate federal funding: the Sinnott Memorial Overlook, which has a new exhibit area featuring a video of how the lake was formed; the Kaiser Studio, a former photographer’s studio serving as a visitor center; the Community Building, where the work of artists in residence is on display, and the old comfort station.
Park Superintendent Chuck Lundy pledged that the Crater Lake Science and Learning Center, scheduled to be completed in 2005 in the old superintendent’s residence, will preserve the park through the 21st century by promoting scientific research and sharing it with schoolchildren.
“It will give us a chance to connect with the people of this state and the Pacific Northwest in a way we haven’t seen in a long time,” Lundy said.
By 2004, crews will begin ripping out the Rim Village parking lot, so the sea of cars and windshields that have greeted visitors for generations will be replaced with natural landscaping and a year-round visitor center with a second-story lookout for winter viewing.
Lundy called on people who love the park to help decide what will go into a time capsule that will be kept in the new visitor center to be built at Rim Village.
August 27 2002 Greg Hartel and the Crusader jet pilot are reunited after 41 years. Greg was the boat driver that plucked the navy jet pilot out of Crater Lake after his jet flamed out over the Lake in 1962. (See the 1962 entry for more detail.)
Summer 2002 700,000 acres of forestlands burn in Southern Oregon. Crater Lake is often obscured many days the Caldera took on a winter fog look. The tour boats were forced to use their compasses to find their way back to Cleetwood Cove after the smoke would gather in the Caldera in the afternoons. Visitation declined.
Summer 2002
Crater Lake National Park Centennial Memories
Ted Arthur – My Memories of Crater Lake National Park
Leaving the hot, crowded Santa Clara Valley in California to experience the cool, crisp, clean air of Crater Lake.
To be greeted by a magnificent stand of Ponderosa Pine on the South Entrance, checking-in at the Park Headquarters.
Cleaning a Sleepy Hollow cabin. Taking pleasure in renewing acquaintances. Seeing our children enjoying the out-of-doors with other residents at the Park.
Aiding in getting interpretive facilities ready for the season. The joy of interpreting, to aid the visitor in understanding and appreciating the Park.
The comradeship of fellow uniformed and non-uniformed personnel. The generous hospitality of Bruce & Barbara Black – hosting evening sing-a-longs.
Seeing the changes occur through the short growing season. Animal sightings.
Being treated to spectacular sunsets.
I was most fortunate to spend 12 summers at Crater Lake, which provided me the opportunity to work in one of America’s Wonderlands.
Greg Hartell – 1957 + THREE GENERATIONS AT CRATER LAKE
My Dad, Guy Hartell, retired from the NPS at Crater Lake in 1970. Guy first worked there in 1935. He related stories of the CCC boys during that period. He returned to work at Crater Lake in the mid-1950’s as an equipment operator, plowing snow in winter and patching roads in summer. Guy loved to plow snow and would dream about doing so even after he retired. He was known for his industrious attitude and dedication to excellence in his work. I have fond memories of living with my folks in Sleepy Hollow and later the stone houses above headquarters. My mother, Eva Hartell, especially enjoyed the birds and wildflowers of Crater Lake and the winter solitude.
I first worked for the park service in 1957 on Mission 66 projects including construction of the Cleetwood Trail. My brother, Ken Hartell, also worked seasonal on trail projects around this time. Ken and his wife, Barbara, lived in a trailer at the Annie Springs campground. My sister, Margaret, worked in the mess hall working at making brown bag lunches and serving meals to seasonal employees. Margaret related that she had also helped pick up the cooking duties when the cook didn’t make it back from town. Margaret boarded in the mess hall in one of the downstairs rooms. I think this was about 1948 or ’49.
I met my wife-to-be, Bev Proffitt, in the spring of 1964 at a park social function. Bev began work for the park in 1963 as secretary for Chief Park Naturalist Richard Brown. We were married in 1965 and have lived most of the time since in the Algoma area north of Klamath Falls.
I next worked at the park for private contractors as carpenter, carpenter foreman and superintendent on various projects including renovation of the mess hall (Canfield Bldg.), ranger dorm (Steel Center), administration building (Sager Bldg.), first phase of mechanic shop reconstruction, first and fourth phase of lodge rehabilitation, construction of Mazama Dorm complex and most recently the rehab of historic buildings on the rim; Comfort Station, Kiser Studio, Community House and Sinnott Memorial. On this latter project, Bev worked with me as superintendent’s secretary.
Our son, Jason, worked a summer as an apprentice carpenter on the buildings at headquarters. Later, he would work on the first phase of the lodge. On visits home to Oregon Jason and wife, Ann, usually work in a trip to Crater Lake and a fishing expedition to Wizard Island. Our daughter, Amy, started working at the park while still in high school for the natural history association and would later work for the park service as a seasonal interpreter and go on to work seasonal on the trail crew. Her husband, Steve Mark, is the park historian and they would live for a time in one of the stone houses next to where Amy’s grandparents had lived.
Bev and I have been members and very much involved with the Friends of Crater Lake National Park. We have a deep appreciation of its beauty and for the people we have known over the years who share our appreciation and strive to protect this most unique place.
Greg Hartell – died April 23, 2006 of Asbestosis of the lungs, contracted through years of historic restoration work.
Crater Lake Institute Oral History Archives
Crater Lake Centennial Interviews
Affolter, Vic 1962-1978
My strongest memories of Crater Lake are of the friendships and strong bond of community forged among those of us who were privileged to work at that special place, some for many seasons.
I began my 16-season tenure in 1962; living in the Ranger dorm (now the Steel Center) and eating in the Mess Hall (now the Canfield Building), and later lived in a small cabin (now demolished) in Sleepy Hollow. Those quarters were rustic and intimate, encouraging much comradery among residents. A lot has been gained in comfort by recent improvements, but some things have been lost as well.
My duties as patrol ranger and personal recreation took my around Crater Lake more than 500 times, including a dozen on bicycle and a half marathon that provided an exhaustive sense of scale. On every circuit I experienced different facets that have been assembled into a composite impressive of this unique jewel that have been captured only in fragments by photographs and paintings.
Each of us who worked and played at Crater Lake is part of the unique family who members are privileged to have shared that experience. Twenty-four years have passed since my last working summer at Crater Lake, but the memories are as fresh as yesterday. My annual visits, always including hiking or skiing, help replenish my enduring connection to that special place and those who have resided there.
Crater Lake Institute Oral History Archives
Crater Lake Centennial Interviews
Johnson, Einar Superintendent 1970-1973
Crater Lake brings forth images of a deep blue lake within a caldera surrounded by lush green forests. I can visualize the clear blue skies of simmer and winter. I remember the deep snow and the snowplows keeping the roads (Which reminded my of deep canyons) open for travel from early fall to late spring each year. What an experience to enjoy the solitude of the park while cross-country skiing on unplowed roads and back country trails.
I recall the many hikes to the lake with family and friends, hikes on the trails with Erik to enjoy Mt. Scott, and the hike to Boundary Springs with Jan, Erik, Lisa and Susan. What a treat to sit and watch the water bubble forth and realize that the might Rogue River originated there.
I remember the Chiloquin Rodeos and the fun we had there. In August 1972 I rode with Don Lefler, Lefty Wilder, Bob Mosier, and Bill Wampler and his son on a scouting expedition to check out a route for a Trail Ride from Crater Lake to Chiloquin in conjunction with that rodeo. The route we selected was 30 miles long and worked out very well for the pre-rodeo trail ride.
Crater Lake is certainly one of the Crown Jewels of the National Park Service. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such a great group of employees and to live here with my family in this unique environment.
Crater Lake Institute Oral History Archives
Crater Lake Centennial Interviews
Foiles, Otis “Pete” 1939-1942
I was a full time Ranger from December 1939 to October 1942, when the decision was made to not keep the park open during the winter due to World War II. We were the last family to leave the park that year.
I proposed to my wife at Cloud Cape Overlook in August 1940. We were married October 15, 1940 and moved into our ‘Honeymoon House’ at Park headquarters area. Our first child, Elouise was born in April 1942 and we had to put her in a toboggan to get to our house, upon our return from the hospital, because a snowstorm had closed the road. Of course, snow was a big experience for us. We were used to snow in Colorado, but not the amount that we got at Crater Lake. At that time only about 10 families lived in the Park in the winter and we became as one big family. We were very comfortable under 25 feet of snow; but when the power went out for 2 or 3 days it was a challenge because we used electricity for cooking. We would end up cooking on top the oil stoves that were used for heating the houses. I think the lake is even more beautiful in the winter than in the summer. Helping people out when snow caused them problems was one of our duties. One morning I came upon a couple stranded on the road during a bad storm. They had been all night with no heat or a place to stay except in the car. When I stopped to help them I noticed we were right by a telephone that we had put up for just such situations. I asked them why they didn’t use the phone to call for help. The fellow said, “I thought about that, but the sign said “For Emergency Use Only”.
There was a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp at Annie Spring before I arrived, but they kept a side camp of about 10 boys (men) at headquarters area that were very helpful in maintenance of the park. I had been a CCC boy for 18 months in Colorado in 1933 & 34. On one occasion a CCC boy helped me pack supplies up to a lookout on Mt. Scott. When we got there he looked out over the Cascade mountains stretching both north and south from there and said “Good Gawd Almighty, if this country was ironed out flat it would be bigger than Texas”.
We have some pictures and lots of memories that we would like to recall along with the 100th anniversary of Crater Lake National Park.
The wildlife in the Park were a lot of fun for us. Shortly after our daughter was born she and her mother were outside when a mother bear and her cubs came along. When I cam home there was my wife and baby feeding the bears and having a great time. I scolded her and told her we didn’t do that in the Park. Later that evening the bears came back and were pawing at the window looking for more food. That scared her and she never did that again. A red fox showed up at Annie Spring and became quite friendly. On one occasion the fox came up while a photographer from “Life Magazine” was there. He got a wonderful shot that was published in one issue of the magazine.
Winter 2002 Heavy snows leave the Park isolated for several weeks. Several snowplows are out of commission, and ice coats equipment, disrupting Internet and phone service. The Park remained open, but not many visitors come by. That’s partly because the unrelenting storms have made snow conditions poor for cross-country skiing, sledding and other winter recreation. The road to the Rim is closed for most of December.
Fiscal Year 2002 Park Budget: $4,024,000
Visitation 506,219 visitors (Online says: 456,620)
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