Cultural History

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Smith Brothers History, Photos and Posters and a horse named Duke
A major resource and why this website was developed in the first place – most of this material is unavailable anywhere else. Includes the Smith Brothers Chronological History of Crater Lake

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 Park Structures and Places
Reports, studies, historical overviews and more.
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People and The National Park Service at Crater Lake
how it came to be, when and why – and the people who made it happen.

Ben Truwe, Southern Oregon Historical Society history of the Crater Lake Highway
Ford at Union Creek prior to construction at first Crater Lake Highway (construction started 1911) Parkhurst photo

klamNative Americans at Crater Lake
The complex culture of the first visitors and residents of Crater Lake and surrounding areas

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The Diary of Fletcher Lynn: Visit to Crater Lake, August 1889 in which a group of intrepid travelers journey to Crater Lake, eat, make music, play games – and try to shoot everything they see.

September, October Southern Oregon Historical Society publication about Arant and Steel – Crater Lake Rumble

(entire publication, other stories included.


Early Crater Lake Motorist Brochures, starting with 1933


Early General Information Brochures from the National Park Service
General Information 1912

Bevan-Park-Bear-Handout
The Eidson Family Goes to Crater Lake

Read the personal story of visitors at Crater Lake in 1953 and 1964.


Smith Family History, Photos and Posters

Larry Smith's ranger vehicle named Duke Larry Smith Posters: over 50 posters  - possibly the best visual representation of “Life at the Lake” that exists. All are printable size. The Smith Brothers Chronological History of Crater Lake, a History and Important Event Log Including Significant Crater Lake Records and Area “Firsts” of Crater Lake National Park....

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Historic Park Structures and Places

Historic Structures and Locations in Crater Lake National Park The National Park Service has always treated park buildings, roads and other structures as part of America's heritage, just like the scenery and wildlife.  Here is an always-expanding series of documents, photos and resources that are, in themselves, historic and part of our heritage. Sinnott Memorial...

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People and The National Park Service

Jump to: Crater Lake National Park Oral Histories Other pages in this section    

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Crater Lake Highway History – Ben True

Editor's Note: This page is thanks to Ben Truwe of the Southern Oregon Historical Society. The Crater Lake Highway   TO ENSURE CRATER LAKE TRAVEL.A Cut-Off Road Is Proposed---It Is a Feasible Route, Has an Easy Grade and Will Cost but Little Money.     The establishment of the government road leading from the Rogue River...

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Diary of Fletcher Linn: Crater Lake Trip, August, 1889

Diary of Fletcher Linn Crater Lake Trip, August 1889 [Editors note: Some pages are short but show how it was written one day at a time.  Particularly interesting is the spectacular list of provisions - and then note the number of times there is mention of what appears to be minor episodes of food poisoning]

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Table Rock Sentinel 1985 Crater Lake Rumble

All pages enlarge to reading size. PDF file of entire publication: Table Rock Sentinel vol 5 no 9 (October 1985 part 1)  

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Historic Crater Lake Informational Brochures

Yearly Brochures about Crater Lake National Park These are from the National Archives and have been scanned, touched up and then presented as both a full pdf and individual pages in jpg format. Originally published by the National Park Service to give a general assessment of each National Park, these publications were the first 'advertisements'...

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Crater Lake Historic Motorist Brochures

Produced by the National Park Service, these brochures were early attempts to get visitors to visit their national parks. What a difference today, when parks are approaching their visitor-limits. Early leaders, Stephen Mather and Horace Albright realized the public would advocate for more park support if they came. 1933 Crater Lake Historic Motorist Brochure  

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1952 Crater Lake Brochure and trip story from Jimmy Rae Bevan

Crater Lake Institute receives all sorts of memorabilia from family visits or the CCC units that worked there. This one is especially nice for the quality of the surviving scrapbooks of two visits, one in 1958 and the second in 1964. The bear poster was a handout at the park gate. Earl and Alice Eidson...

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Native Americans at Crater Lake

  Wimawita - A Legend of Crater Lake, Mark Brickell Kerr, 1896 Archaeological Surveys of Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon - Davis, Wilbur A., 1963. The Klamath Indians of Southern Oregon Cascades  compiled from the works of Winthrop Associates Cultural Research, 2008 Traditional Land Use as Starting Point: Opening Cross-cultural Dialogue at...

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The Botanists at Crater Lake by Elizabeth L. Horn, 2005

The Botanists at Crater Lake National Park by Elizabeth L. Horn, Kalmiopsis, Volume 12, 2005 Table of Contents ***menu child*** ***previous*** --- ***next***

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Table of Contents