Make the most of Crater Lake quarter
Herald and News
Klamath Falls, Oregon
June 02, 2005
Now that everyone’s pretty much vented over the fact that the Crater Lake quarter’s coming out party won’t be at Crater Lake, let’s resolve to make the best of things.
Crater Lake is in Klamath County. We all know that. And having its image on 550 million quarters that are now under production should result in an immense amount of publicity and interest in Oregon’s only national park.
Crater Lake was created by a series of eruptions and the collapse of 12,000-foot Mount Mazama, which left it with a hole in the ground that became the deepest, bluest lake in the United States. It’s 1,932 feet deep, and is surrounded by a rim more than a thousand feet higher.
The park has been undergoing a transformation in recent years and is poised to take advantage of a surge in tourism.
No, the lake hasn’t gotten deeper, nor are the peaks above it any higher.
But millions of dollars have been spent renovating the lodge and keeping its historic theme. Other renovations of park buildings have been completed, or are under way, and include moving the parking area back away from the rim so that the first sight of the lake by tourists won’t be over a sea of asphalt and waves of car tops.
When millions of Crater Lake coins start circulating, people who have never seen the lake will be asking themselves, “What’s so special about Crater Lake?”
Let’s get past any feelings about the quarter being unveiled June 15 in the Portland area instead of in Klamath County. There may be another ceremony later in the summer in Southern Oregon.
County residents will survive the situation. Actually, they may do better than that if the expected publicity sends more tourists this way and pumps more money into the Klamath County economy.
And speaking of things Crater Lake: What ever became of “Crater Lake Parkway,” the new name for the Alameda Bypass-Kit Carson Way thoroughfare on the north side of town? The last we heard all that was left to do was for the state to get the signs painted, and that’s been awhile.
We’d hate to think that the U.S. Mint can print hundreds of millions of Crater Lake quarters in less time than it takes the state to paint some street signs.
Let’s try to get them both on the street at the same time.
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