To close out the Crater Lake segment, I wanted to ask you about the successes during the five and a half years were there. Also, what things disappointed you the most?
I see the boundary adjustment and the working relations I had with the Forest Service, connections through my friend Clay Peters, as foremost. He was in a key position working on the drafting of the legislation that helped bring about the park expansion. I feel good about that. I’m thinking of long term benefits to the park. Working with external interests was another accomplishment. Getting resource management programs off the ground that helping our interpretive programs makes really good progress. I really had nothing to do with the historic studies, but was pleased to see them come along. It is a thing that I very much support.
Probably the biggest disappointment has been the old lodge. I didn’t go along with the public who felt the lodge was such a great cathedral and all that. It was nothing but an old barn that developed without any sound planning. It grew up like Topsy. After its torn and tattered history, especially with all the safety and fire concerns, my feeling was that it served its purpose. It probably never should have been built there in the first place. A visitor doesn’t need to turn over in his bed and look out the window to see the lake. Paying $120 per night is a luxury I don’t think we can afford. It’s just out of place. A visitor’s experience should be that of having the sensation of that John Wesley Hillman did when he first saw the lake. It isn’t looking over and seeing this ugly old lodge, nor should it be looking down and seeing boats fluttering around on the lake. To appreciate that pristine jewel that it is, a visitor should be able to come up to the rim and see nothing but crystal blue water, Wizard Island, and that’s all. And, of course have the feeling, WOW. That is my biggest disappointment. I know that there are probably many in the Park Service who feel somewhat like I do, but it’s surprising how many people think it is the Windsor Castle. Another disappointment was that we directed to turn the operation of Mazama Campground over to the concession (53). Is it still concession operated?
Yes.
I hated to see that happen. Maybe I’m an old traditionalist, but I felt that it was just giving them too much. I was very much in favor and did some site planning for the campground store down at Mazama. This was part of an effort to remove that function from the rim. For overnight lodging, I strongly encouraged something down in Munson Valley rather than at the rim. There is room in Munson Valley. In fact there is space where you go down below headquarters about two miles in the vicinity where the old dump used to be (54). That could be a place suitable for lodging. They could put up some interpretive plaques and scale models of the lodge at the rim for people to look at, so they could understand what was once there. But we chose to go another way, I guess. I was down for the dedication and it looks nice (55). When I left Crater Lake I began to think they’d put a scale model of the old lodge around my neck because of all the headaches I had with it. At one point we had to put external fire escapes there.
