The prospectus identified the principal theme elements of the park. While the principal goal of the interpretive program was to relate the specific facts about Crater Lake to the general theme of change–and man s role in the process–the story elements were basically geologic. Interpretation must therefore build toward that concept by contributing to the visitor’s understanding of the geologic forces that built and destroyed Mount Mazama. Major theme or subject matter areas to be included were:
– The pre-Mazama period–the stage setting for the uplift of the Cascade Range.
– The building of Mount Mazama–its continuous growth and alteration by volcanic activity and glaciation.
– The formation of the caldera–intensified activity and the collapse of the summit.
– The post-collapse period–residual volcanic activity and the formation of the lake.
– The present–continuing alterations by wind, and water, and man.
Interpretation should be concerned with the idea of geologic effects on the environment, emphasizing the emerging role of man as he affected the geology. Attention should be focused on the uncommon purity and clarity of Crater Lake and the circumstances that had contributed to those qualities.
The prospectus contained a number of interpretive proposals that were concentrated around and near the rim because the lake was the exclusive focal point of interest in the park. Relatively few time-consuming activities were proposed, predicated on the fact that Crater Lake was a predominantly day-use park with 60 percent of the visitors staying less than 4 hours and 20 percent remaining for only 4 to 8 hours.
The highest priority for interpretive development within the park was assigned to the long-planned and still unrealized rim visitor center on the south rim in the vicinity of the Exhibit Building. The visitor center, according to the prospectus, was to be a low-profile, all-season structure designed to accommodate large numbers of visitors and to make the Sinnott Memorial an extension of the structure by means of a ramp or stairs. The visitor center would be the focal point of interpretive orientation and development within the park, containing a built-in information desk/sales area, a large relief model of the park, and exhibits and pictorial material relating to the aesthetic values of the park. It was to contain a 250-seat auditorium for showing orientation films and slide programs. Renovation of the Sinnott Memorial was recommended for use as the prime location for interpreting the overall geologic history of Crater Lake on a year-round basis with emphasis on personal contact interpretation.
Rim Drive, according to the prospectus, was to be interpreted by thematically related wayside exhibits. At the time there were approximately 20 signs and/or exhibits, including those on the Watchman Parapet, located at various points around Rim Drive. It was recommended that the number be reduced to fifteen and be focused on a unifying theme. Among the sites selected for such exhibits were Cloudcap, Kerr Notch, Sun Notch, Wineglass, and Discovery Point. In addition to roadside interpretive devices, the prospectus recommended development of a taped tour system for Rim Drive. Interpretation at the Watchman Parapet was to emphasize personal contact by an onsite interpreter, supplemented by several exhibits mounted at low levels around the parapet. A modest, unmanned interpretive shelter and wayside exhibit was to be located near the trailhead at Cleetwood Cove.
At the time there were 21 wayside exhibits or signs other than those on Rim Drive. Two were located on the south entrance road, one each on the north and west entrance roads, one at the Pinnacles overlook, and sixteen on the 4-mile Grayback motor-nature road from Vidae Falls to Lost Creek Campground that had been opened in 1969. The prospectus recommended that these exhibits be reviewed with special attention to thematic unity. The Grayback road exhibits, in particular, were to redesigned around the theme of “Evolution of a Landscape.”
The prospectus proposed little change in trailside interpretation other than revision of signs and leaflets for uniform thematic cohesiveness The existing trails most heavily used by visitors were short trails to viewpoints on the rim. Three trails were used for regularly scheduled guided walks–Discovery Point, Garfield Peak, and Annie Creek Canyon. There were three self-guiding trails–Castle Crest, Godfrey Glen, and Grotto Cove. In addition the Watchman Trail was heavily used and to a lesser extent so was the Mount Scott Trail. The Cleetwood Trail was used primarily by those visitors taking the guided launch trip. The Pacific Crest Trail, established by Congress in 1968, extended the north-south length of the park as part of its traverse from Canada to Mexico.
