Only one building was constructed at Rim Village during this second period of development. In 1937, a rustic style comfort station was designed for a site at the east end of the large parking area fronting the cafeteria. This building was intended to serve both campers and day visitors. Francis Lange supervised the construction of the building which was to be built of native stone and timber “in keeping with the park type of structure.”[65] He purposefully set the building back from the curb approximately 30 feet so not to give “a crowded appearance to the building in relation to the entire area.”[66] CCC crews brought in oversized boulders for use as a veneer over the building’s wood frame structure, placing the largest stones on the bottom and decreasing their size as the walls rose. A stone mason named John D. Bowdish completed the exterior stone work, and Lange was so impressed by the CCC enrollees’ skill he remarked in a final narrative report that it represented an excellent piece of work and “the type of stone work on this building will serve as a basis for future stone construction on later Rim buildings.”[67] Wood siding was used above the stones on the gable ends of the building. It blended nicely with its surroundings and Lange felt the structure was a success, both functionally and aesthetically. The comfort station and pedestrian walks around the building were completed in 1938.
The construction of signs was another aspect of CCC work at Crater Lake. Francis Lange found that logs with letters cut into the wood were both effective as signs and they produced the rustic appearance desired for these site details. Large circular slabs of pine, 4 feet in diameter were cut and letters then carved into the wood surface, to provide visitors with necessary park information or directions. In turn, the slabs were set on cut, unpeeled logs to keep them off the ground and improve their visibility. The first three such rustic signs were made for the Rim Drive, the Sinnott Memorial, and the park’s Naturalist service. In 1938 an outdoor workshop was established in one of the CCC camps, and under the supervision of a foreman following approved drawings, the enrollees carved additional rustic signs for placement within the village and throughout the park.[68]
As projects in Rim Village were completed, new ones were added to the park’s everpresent list of “future work to be accomplished.” In 1936 Francis Lange observed the need for sufficient camping, picnicking, and trailer facilities to be developed at the village, as the existing ones were already overtaxed by the park’s growing numbers of visitors.[69] Lange’s monthly narrative reports repeatedly mentioned the need to remove the unsightly and poorly constructed Community House (each fall it required bracing to withstand the yearly snow loads and it did not accommodate the large crowds wishing to assemble therein) and the “less dangerous but just as unsightly” Kiser Studio. Lange proposed the construction of a new Contact Building, one that would serve the tourists’ needs as well as the park’s administrative needs. With a new building in place — one properly located — the older structures could be removed and “the entire Rim area will then give a more striking appearance as well as serve a better and more modern need.”[70] Other buildings proposed for the village included additional housekeeping cabins for use by the concessioner. The existing cabins, Lange felt, were poorly arranged, disagreeable to occupy, and lacked many of the other customary accommodations that were typically found in the “better type of park operator’s development[s].” The concessionaire’s lack of maintenance on the cabins were a source of contention for Lange throughout the 1930’s. Although possible locations for this new development were discussed between the regional landscape architect (E.A. Davidson) and the park superintendent, new cabins were not erected for many years.[71]
Future landscape work proposed for Rim Village included the need for additional plantings around the large parking area in front of the lodge and around the Cafeteria; the improvement of the parking area in front of the Cafeteria; the addition of light standards in the campground and the placement of low lights along the south side of the Rim walk; additional log signs; the development of an overlook near the Rim Campground; and the moving of peat, topsoil, plants, shrubs, and sod where needed. Lange made mention several times about the need for maintenance and upkeep of the landscape work completed at the village. Watering and pruning the transplanted material was essential for the life and health of the new plants.[72]
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