July 29
John White, NPS seasonal employee, runs from Headquarters to the top of Garfield Peak and back again without stopping, in 45 minutes.
August
A new water system and pipes are installed at Lost Creek Campground.
August 12
Third annual Rim Run. 457 runners, 82 which are National Park Employees. Nine finished the full 26 mile run.
Rim Run Winners
Men: 6.5 Greg Spruill Springfield, Oregon 33.41
13.0 Darcy Burleson Phoenix, Oregon 1:13.11
26.2 Thom Burleson Eugene, Oregon 2:37.29
Women: 6.5 Carol Kohleim Crater Lake, Oregon 47:13
13.0 Darcy Burleson Chico, California 1:39.24
26.2 Sally Edwards Chico, California 3:33.49
August 22
NPS Director, Bill Whalen, visits Crater Lake for two days.
August 24
Massive air and ground search conducted by the National Guard and volunteers in search for a Cessna 182 that disappeared in the Crater Lake area with three on board, February, 1975. The search concentrates on a 50 square mile region in the southwestern portion of the park and the Northeast corner of Jackson County. The results were negative.
August 27
Jim Rouse, Crater Lake’s 21st superintendent, enters on duty.
August
An older couple, because of a misunderstanding of the boat schedule, is left overnight on the Island. They light a huge fire which is easily seen from Rim Village, but because of the danger of running a boat at night, rescue is held off until first light. The woman in the group promises to really stir things up in Washington “because of top connections.” Superintendent Rouse treats the two of them to breakfast at the Lodge.
September 8
Gary Roden, 29, of Enumclaw, Washington, asks Ranger Hank Tanski for permission to leave his pack at the Visitor Center for a few hours while he explored the Rim Village area. When Gary did not return by closing time, Hank left a message and phone number on the door of the center and took the pack to Headquarters, returning to the Rim area several times during the evening, in search of Roden. Several days later, Hank discovered a postcard of Wizard Island in Roden’s pack saying, “I are on the island, and I’m not coming back alone.” This note, plus the report of several visitors say they had seen movement on the Island, prompted Tanski and Rick Kirchner to attempt a rescue in the Park’s Zodiac Raft which first required carrying the boat down the Cleetwood Lake Trail. As the craft arrived outside the boathouse, the door was flung open and Roden asked, “Are you looking for someone?”
Roden claims to have swum over to the Island with the idea of committing suicide by swallowing drugs, including cocaine. Roden had a change of heart and supposedly burned the drugs. He spent his first two nights in the Island’s crater, the next two nights under the trees and one night in the boat house. He also thought that the Island would be a quiet place to play his silver flute, which he had brought with him. Roden stated that the water was two cold to swim back, and waited five days for his rescue. The only food Gary was able to find was a shriveled up orange in one of the boathouses. On the way back to Cleetwood, as Hank was offering Roden part of his lunch, he asked Hank, “Are there any fish in the Lake?” Since this is the number one question asked by visitors and since Hank had heard the question all summer, he said he felt like pushing Roden overboard. It was later determined that Roden was a mental patient from Salem.
September 8
Tana Hill and Chief Ranger Dan Sholly marry in the Lodge. They had planned for the ceremony to take place at Sun Notch, but inclement weather forced the marriage inside.
September 28
A prescribed forest burn of 6,000 is set in the Park’s northeast corner, east of Timber Crater. The fire spreads at a speed of 35 feet per hour. By October 22, 2,600 acres had burned. A thick thermal layer of air over the area sends smoke into the Rogue Valley.
October
Mrs. John Creaghan of Baton Rouge, LA, Granddaughter of John Wesley Hillman, visits the Park.
October 2
Male bear destroyed by Ranger Mark Forbes near Mazama Campground.
October 11
The prescribed burn set 13 previously reaches 1,200 acres in size. Two previously naturally caused fires are allowed to burn.
October 18
Superintendent James Rouse issues a new pet policy allowing permanent Park residents and employees to keep pets in the Park for the first time.
October 26
80 people are suing Crater Lake Lodge because of the 1975 water problems.
October 30
The top one-third of a nearly dead Mountain Hemlock tree breaks off during a wind storm, knocking holes in the roof and walls of Stonehouse #28. One of the logs pierced the upstairs bedroom ceiling, shattered a new chest of drawers, and sent plaster flying around the room. The larger log pierced the wall above the window frame in the pantry, crossed the pantry and shattered on the kitchen wall, narrowly missing Hank Tanski and Ron and Joy Mastrogiuseppe. Flying plaster drew blood from Ron’s upper lip.
October
Thirty prong horn antelope are spotted by Teri Thomas at Desert Creek.
November
Greg Weidel and Sara Shapira begin operation of the Crater Lake Ski Service. Greg and Sara live in a converted 1952 Blue Bird school bus parked in the center of the Rim parking lot. The ski service first used the Rim Cafeteria, and then the Rim Center for the next four winters and the V.C. in 1984.
November
The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that the Civil Air Patrol notified Sheriff’s deputies that the patrol had sighted a “Help” sign spelled out on rocks in the Trapper Creek area of Crater Lake National Park. Deputies reported an unsuccessful search of the area.
November 9
Multnomah County Circuit Court jury awards $19,000 in damages to Janice Joachimof McMinnville, Oregon. $4,000 in general damages and $15,000 in punitive damages. Mrs. Joachim became ill after visiting Crater lake Lodge in July of 1975. The Joachim suit if the first of nearly 100 that are still pending.
December 17
A porcupine is discovered near Steel Circle, northwest of the power plant, with its underneath hollowed out and with mountain lion tracks in the surrounding snow.
Season Visitation: 580,061.
Total fees collected at the entrance stations: $207,000, which was about 20% of the total Park budget.
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