It was only used as a school for a few years right?
It was used up through ’75, about ten years, I guess. That’s why Crater lake always holds so many memories because of our family connection with it. It just has a real special place in our heart. Those evenings when I would be on dispatch and Lloyd would be the only one on patrol, the Smith brothers had the whole park to themselves. Everything would work out. I remember how things work in threes. You’re heard this thing working in threes, well, working dispatch it always worked in threes. Airplane crashes tend to work in threes. One Sunday, we had a car accident. It was about three o’clock in the afternoon. I was on dispatch and Lloyd was on patrol. I called him out on it. The following Sunday, another car accident at three o’clock in the afternoon. Called Lloyd out on it. The third Sunday Lloyd had somebody riding with him and Lloyd looked at his watch real funny and he said “Well, it’s about three o’clock. It’s about time for an accident.” No sooner had he said that, then over the radio came” 323, there’s been a motorcycle accident just below the rim. Would you please respond to it.” The guy sitting there was flabbergasted. Here was the twin brother calling out the other brother right when he said it.
Some of the other changes you have on [question] number five about the concession I made a few notes on. The towns around the park haven’t changed. Fort Klamath’s about the same, Union Creek is the same, Chemult is as ugly as ever. Chiloquin is just as rowdy as ever. Those areas really haven’t changed. The real changes are in Klamath Falls and Medford. They no longer vie for the gateway to Crater Lake. Crater Lake is just one of many things. When I was growing up, Crater Lake was THE spot. There wasn’t a more important thing to have in this region. But now it’s interesting to see the newspapers don’t even carry very many articles about Crater Lake anymore.
