Were the telescopes used a lot?
They were. Amazing. They were monoculars. What they would do was taking a binocular and disassembles it and then use monoculars. I think we had about seven or eight focused on the Wineglass, the crater on top of Wizard Island, the Phantom Ship, Sun Notch, Kerr Notch, so people could look through them and it was focused on that particular feature. And there was a lot of use and if I recall, when I was up there the other day, they weren’t there.
Apparently, they fell apart one by one. Were the parapet exhibits tied to what the monocular was focused on?
Right.
We still emphasize the basics of the story, but it’s not as point-centered like it was.
As far as the naturalist staff and what were the facilities that they operated, when I first reported for duty at Crater Lake we were housed on the second floor of the Ad (ministration) Building. And I believe it was Bob Bruce who came and apparently had some problem with being there at the Ad Building and we moved all of our facilities about the fire house (7). Our slides collection, our naturalist library, everything, was there, as I recall. He still had his office, I believe, on the second story of the Ad Building. But as far as the work a day activities, our slides collection, our wet collection, and this sort of thing, were all above the fire hall. I don’t know when that was changed.
How many naturalists would there have been in a typical year?
15.
So it’s a lot like this year?
Right. As permanent staff, we had a chief naturalist, assistant chief naturalist, and a naturalist secretary. They were the permanent positions. I understand now, talking with Gregg [Fauth, the assistant chief] the other day, that there are four [permanent] positions.
Its still, essentially, the same structure. How would you describe the first programs give at Mazama Campground? Was the addition of an amphitheater a noticeable change?
As far as the Mazama Campground was concerned, that was under construction (8). I think the programs started about the second or third season I was there, and Bruce Black was very eager to get a naturalist program under way there. We had, prior to that, a program at Rim Village which was held at the Community House. We set up a temporary amphitheater there at Mazama which consisted of a plywood screen painted white and lodgepole pines cut at heights of about 18 inches or so that we stood up on end so people could set and that was our fire circle. Eventually, we had the fire circle that’s down there now, which I assume is still being used, as the campground was enlarged. Personally, I always enjoyed the evening campfire programs, particularly the one at the Community House, which I understand is [no more]. In fact, I understand there’s no Rim Campground now.
