Crater Lake National Park: Administrative History by Harlan D. Unrau and Stephen Mark, 1987
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APPENDIX B13: Physical Improvements Crater Lake National Park–1928
1. Road System: Total 67 miles, consisting of 4 miles pavement, 21 miles of oil macadam, and 42 miles of dirt road. The dirt roads are extremely difficult to maintain because the soil is light volcanic ash and pumice which displaces almost as readily as fluid.
2. Trails: 36 miles, of which 33 miles are widely scattered and are used as much for protection as by visitors. Three miles consisting of the trail down the crater wall to the lake and the trail to the summit of Garfield Peak are used by at least 30,000 people annually; they contain such elements of hazard that their safe maintenance consumes practically all of our inadequate trail allotment.
3. Telephone System: 46 miles of iron wire, grounded system. Within the park this line serves a total of 26 telephones placed in various administrative units; on the west boundary our line joins that of the Forest Service; to the south connects with the Klamath Telephone Co. ; and to the east with the Indian Service. This telephone system is a good one of its type but no longer suffices for the greatly increased use to which it is put by the public particularly, there are no telegraph lines extended into the park.
4. Public Buildings: Anna Spring: 1 superintendent’s house, 1 ranger station, 1 bunk house used as a residence, 1 warehouse, 1 barn, 2 modern toilets in adjacent campground, 2 small shacks. These are all frame structures.
Park Headquarters: 1 small 1-room log cabin, 1 2-1/2 story log cabin used as a kitchen, messhall, and bunk house for a crew of about 40 men; 1 log cabin remodeled and used now as the administration building; 1 warehouse; 1 barn; 3 open latrines; 1 comfort station; 1 employee’s cabin.
Lost Creek: 1 combination mess hall and bunk house for a crew of approximately 15 men; 1 log shack used as a store house until it collapses; 2 open latrines.
Wine Glass: 1 combination bunk house, 1 decrepit storehouse about 12′ x 20′.
Devils Backbone: 1 combination bunk house; 1 old frame storehouse about 10′ x 16′.
East Entrance: 1 2-room log cabin; 2 open latrines.
South Entrance: 1 2-room log cabin; 2 open latrines.
West Entrance: 1 2-room log cabin; 2 open latrines.
Rim Auto Campground: 1 small community house already entirely inadequate for its purpose; 2 modern toilets; 2 complete comfort stations; 2 sheds housing 5 wood water tanks.
At winter headquarters – Medford: 1 superintendent’s residence; 1 2-car garage; 1 warehouse and garage.
Miscellaneous: 1 fire lookout station on Mt. Scott; 2 open latrines at foot of trail to the lake; 1 boat landing at Wizard Island; 1 new comfort station at foot of new trail to lake; 1 pump house, new.
5. Water System: 6 pumping plants with lift varying from 40′ to 700′; one each at the south, west, and east entrances, one at the Rim campground, one at the Backbone, and one at Wineglass. A gravity system takes care of our needs at Headquarters, and a hydraulic ram at Anna Spring.
Concessions: The Crater Lake National Park Co. operates one hotel of 150 rooms and a number of tent houses in connection; a transportation service with 6 7-passenger Hudson coaches operating from Klamath Falls and Medford; a launch and boat service on the Lake; a gasoline service station below headquarters which is operated by the Standard Oil Co. as agent; and are constructing in July, 1928, a cafeteria, general store and small rental cabin group.
The Kiser’s, Inc. operates a photographic studio on the Rim.
Campgrounds: There are 9 campgrounds, as follows: Wheeler Creek on the East road; Lost Creek, junction of East and Rim roads; 2 at Anna Spring; 1 below Headquarters on main road; Cold Spring on south road; Cold Creek on South road; White Horse, west road; one at Rim; these are in various stages of development in proportion to popularity, running from no development at Wheeler Creek to intensive development in the big camp grounds at the rim which contains a community house, 4 comfort stations, shower baths, electric light, etc. The camping facilities in this park can be extended indefinitely and at relatively small cost.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon [1928], RG 79, Central Files, 1907-39, File No. 302, Part 5, Crater Lake, Appropriations, Estimates.
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