August 1
Crater Lake National Park reopens for visitors. Because of limited water supplies, water conservation is urged. The Lodge and the Rim Campground remain closed. The Park’s water is being supplied by three Army portable water purifying units from Ft. Lewis, Washington set alongside the road at Munson Springs.
August 3
Kelsay E. Hinshaw, age 75, dies of a heart attack after climbing Mt. Scott.
August 7
A large arrowhead emblem is stolen from the South Entrance sign.
Kimberly Brown, age 9, falls from Mazama Campground into Annie Creek Canyon and is rescued by Park personnel. Kimberly receives numerous bruises, cuts and a fractured skull.
August 18
Mrs. Lois McLeary (??) dies of a heart attack at midnight in front of the Administration Building.
August 29
A Volkswagen bug is driven off the road and into the canyon one mile below Rim Village. The car rolls several times and the driver is thrown from the car. The driver, who had been drinking, is unhurt, but the car is a total loss. The soldier, who was on leave, had just purchased the car and was not yet covered by insurance.
Summer
A massive ground and air search is conducted for Charles McCullar at the direction of the young man’s father. Mr. McCullar spends much of the summer camped at various locations in the Park searching most of the Northern area. During a one week period, YCC and Park personnel conduct a through grid search for the boy along the North Entrance Road. No trace of young McCullar is found until October 14, 1976.
September
Completion of a new water line connecting Annie Spring to the Park’s water system. Munson Spring is abandoned as a water source of massive contamination. A full-time sanitarian and water control person is hired.
September 6
HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE, NINETY-FOURTH CONGRESS. FIRST SESSION ON THE OVERSIGHT TO CLARIFY CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH LED TO THE CLOSURE OF CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK, Medford, Oregon. Conducted by Senator Mark Hatfield.
The hearing has been called to investigate serious allegations that have been raised concerning the circumstances which led to the closure of the Park on July 11. The allegations of a cover up has cast a shadow over the performance of the various officials and enterprises who have the responsibilities for preserving the integrity of the Government’s custodianship of the national parks. The allegations have raised the possibility of a cover up that was supposedly engineered by the park, concessionaire and the NPS and that pressure was brought on officials to ignore the serious threat to the public and that the concessionaire’s employees who handled food at the park were made to work while sick, which endangered the public.
The hearing lasts for 13 hours and covered 226 pages of testimony.
Mr. Hatfield is astounded to learn that Park Superintendents do not receive specialized training before assuming their positions of responsibility.
Senator: “Do you have a superintendent’s manual or some printed outline of your duties and responsibilities as a park superintendent?” Mr. Sims: “I have never seen anything.”
Senator: “Did you receive any instructions from any person on the conduct and responsibilities of the Superintendent of Crater Lake National Park/” Mr. Sims: “No sir.”
Mr. Hatfield becomes very upset that, with the all of the documented cases of employees and visitors becoming sick after visiting Crater Lake, that the Park had not been closed sooner. “Closing the Park even one day sooner than you did, had the potential of saving thousands from potential illness. What were you waiting for…someone to die first!?” (paraphrased)
Senator Hatfield concludes that there has not been a cover up as such by Park officials, but rather a series of serious blunders compounded by inexperience, inattention and poor training by many of the Park and U.S. Health personnel involved in the water crisis. There had been also a breakdown of command because: Park authority was not clearly defined, there was much confusion because of overlapping jurisdictions and nobody seemed to be in charge. Senator Hatfield: “Rather than trying to save the people who were on fire, you were out looking for the cause of the fire.” (paraphrased)
September 9
Rescue of two Park visitors from below the Mather Overlook. The rescue operation cost the government $774.
October 9
Frank Betts enters on duty as the Park’s 20th Superintendent, transferring in from Grand Teton National Park.
October 18
A wolf is spotted near Sentinel Rock. Tracks measured 2.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches long. The animal had been digging for rodents when startled.
October 30
Third highest lake level recorded since 1892.
1975 Season
Lake water completely covers the permanent dock at Cleetwood Cove. For the next two years the dock is covered by about 5 feet of water, forcing the boat crew to raise the ticket shack up to the Lake Trail.
Season Visitation: 427,252. Down 20% due to the three week closure of the Park during July and August.
