Winter
83 The Rim Center Building is severely damaged during a record snowfall at Rim Village of 25 to 28 feet. This becomes the deepest recorded snowfall in the state. The Headquarters weather station measures a record 22 feet of snow on the ground on Easter Sunday morning.
Sleepy Hollow cabins #41, #43 and #45 are crushed by the winter’s excessive snow load and are abandoned.
The research boat, “The Queen ll”, is destroyed as it smashes on rocks and the wreckage is strewn around Cleetwood Cove. Styrofoam from the boat’s floats continue to visually pollute the Cove for several years.
January
Kevin Peer, free lance film maker begins filming winter scenes for a new informational film about Crater lake. Kevin spends a week on top of the Watchman taking time-lapse photographs of storms passing over the Lake. Peer also spends the winter writing the movie’s scripts. Returning in the summer, Peer films additional footage, including an reenactment of the Lake’s discovery and the staging of William Steel’s famous School House lunch box discovery of Crater Lake. The new film will replace the 30 year old “Crater Lake Story”.
February 10
An avalanche from off of Castle Crest closes the Rim access road just above Headquarters.
March
148 inches of wet snow falls during the month.
April
A snow pack of emergency proportions sends out all able-bodied employees to shovel snow from the flat roofed residence buildings. Some of the houses in Steel Circle had up to 252 inches of snow on their roofs. Many Park buildings suffered extreme snow and ice damage.
April 3
Easter Sunday Morning. A new snow depth record of 252 inches (or 21 feet) is established at Park Headquarters, breaking the previous record of 18 feet set in . Rim Village set a new Oregon State snow depth record of 27 feet. The seasonal total of accumulated snowfall reaches 635 inches, or 52.9 feet.
May 9
The Warehouse building is declared unsafe for entry because of snow damage.
Summers 1983 and 1984
A two year experiment conducted by contracting out the operation of Mazama Campground to the Lodge Company in an attempt to see if contracting services will save operational money. All camping fees in the Park are tripled to “match the prices of the private sector.”
Summer
A bacteriological survey of ground water inflow into Crater Lake shows nitrate and fecal coliform of measurable levels. The study indicates there may be low levels of sewage entering the Lake.
The leach fields in the Rim Village area are suspected of Lake contamination
A U.S.G.S. study finds a high level of lead concentrated in the water around Cleetwood Cove. The lead undoubtedly stems from the tour boat operation.
A major project begun to preserve, duplicate and properly store the 17 volumes of the Steel Scrapbooks.
A cougar is sighted near the Watchman.
One “garbage “bear is euthanized near the Park boundary. A bear cub carcass is found near Rim Drive.
June
The position of Assistant Superintendent is reestablished after being vacant for 20 years.
June 17
The North Entrance Road opens, following a record snow year.
