Watchman Trail Construction
Although funding was available and construction had commenced for the second version of the Watchman Trail, justification for its existence was noted in a report from Worth Ryder to John C. Merriam in 1932. Ryder vigorously defended trail construction stating: “I was told at the Park that little money will be given for trails because few people use the trails. It is more important to build trails for the few who have interest enough to use them than to build roads for the many. It is of little value to run thousands of people up to a scenic point and then hurry them past it to another point. Nature speaks only to one who has ears to listen and time to listen. People who will give time to receive impressions from nature will probably be uplifted spiritually by nature. Such people are worth our trouble…Personally I should not waste the taxpayers money on him who has neither interest nor courage enough to salute the dawn from the summit of the Watchman” (Ryder, 1932, n.p.).
Because of Ryder’s strong argument, and because the observation station required a trail in order to “get materials up for the construction of the Watchman Lookout Station”, the second version of the Watchman Trail was aligned in 1931. Considered temporary, this second alignment would be enhanced a year later upon completion of the Watchman Observation Station in 1932 (Sager, 1932, n.p.).
At a cost of $1,000, the third and final alignment of the Watchman Trail was completed in 1932. This iteration was approximately half a mile in length, five feet wide and aligned at a maximum 15% grade (Superintendent’s Annual Report, Crater Lake NP, 1932). Beginning at a point on the new Rim Drive (graded in 1931) on the northeast side of Watchman Peak, the final alignment began by following the old Rim Road on its north side. The trail then spurred from the old alignment with switchbacks and small retaining walls and “stone slabs for use as benches” along the trail. Once the trail was complete, it was oiled “to reduce dust”(Robertson, Final Completion Report on the Watchman Summit Trail Construction, 1932). Completed to the same standards of construction as the Garfield Peak trail (Garfield Peak standards included strong rock parapets constructed to “insure safety” and “natural rock” mortared together to “blend in with the rustic topography of the rim”(Green, 1984, 164)). Meticulous care was taken during construction by Chief Landscape Architect Merel Sager to ensure the trail’s naturalistic appearance. In the case of the Godfrey Glen Trail, constructed during the same time period, Sager was known to “admonished” the crew to make the trail seem natural by “roughening the edges of a fallen tree trunk, through which the path was cut, to simulate the appearance of a natural path that had occurred over time” (Larry V. Espey, recorded interview with Patricia Erigero, n.d.). It is evident that Sager took this kind of care during Watchman Trail construction.
Watchman Observation Station Construction
Watchman Observation Station was completed on time in 1931 at a cost of $5000 and was described as a “complex” building project in a 1932 NPS report. The Watchman Observation Station symbolized the dualistic approach of the NPS to conserve the park’s natural resources while also educating the park visitor about these resources (Greene, 1984, 250). Located on the west rim of the lake, the building was walled with massive stones to house the museum room focusing on the theme of fire prevention education. The first floor was the most accessible for the visiting public and therefore included a comfort station.
The building was four sided with its steel-framed second story resting only on a “portion of the irregularly-shaped first floor” and enclosed by a series of eight-foot plate glass windows for maximum visibility. The roof of the observation room and the catwalk around it were constructed with logs, enabling the tower to blend in remarkably well with the peak (Sager, A Summary of Construction During the Season of 1932). Other infrastructure components were integrated into the building including a 4000’ water supply line from Lightning Springs and telephone lines connecting Watchman Observation Station to the park system (Robertson, 1931). After completion of the observation station in 1932, it was noted by a fire control expert named J.D. Coffman that the structure was “the best fire lookout building in the United States” (Sager, 1932, n.p.).
