***previous*** — ***next***
1924
January 1924 “Pictures were taken of the frozen Lake.” Reported in the Portland Oregonian. The photo later appears in the newspaper and is preserved in Crater Lake’s Park Museum Files.
January 16 1924 John Maben, Lodge Caretaker, “The lake froze over and stayed closed until the morning of the 20th. The Lake ice reached a thickness of one inch. An unusual thing. Most of the ice will disappear by now, the wind breaking it up and driving it to the north shore.”
February 12 1924 Park Rangers visit Crater Lake to find the Lake completely frozen over. Several photos are taken and are published in the February 17, 1924 “Sunday Oregonian”.
May 1924 Several peep scopes are invented by Colonel Thompson, Crater Lake Superintendent, to assist visitors to distinguish objects clearly in deep water and to be able to see flora and fauna formation as well as fish while out in boats.
May 1924 From eBay: Rare real photo post card shows Rin Tin Tin standing on the rim of Crater Lake. From the making of a Rin Tin-Tin silent film by Warner Brothers in 1924 called “Get Your Man”. Also printed on back, “This is in appreciation of the good fellowship of the entire personnel here on location” H.W. Poole, printed on period AZO photo paper. eBay
Klamath Falls newspaper headline: Movie Company is on way and plans made to act here (Rin Tin Tin), EH, May 26, 1924
Rin-Tin-Tin is high paid star in “Find Your Man,” first movie shot in Klamath (story and ad), EH Sept. 20, 1924
Wonder dog, Rin-Tin-Tin, fights porcupine in movie, EH Sept. 24, 1924 Source: Klamath County Museum
According to assistant director Pandro S. Berman, Rin Tin Tin, contrary to his screen image, was a vicious and foul-tempered animal. He snapped and snarled at everybody and bit several people. Most of the cast and crew were terrified of him, but he was clever and well-trained and couldn’t be replaced.
Rinty stars as Buddy, a dog in a remote timber camp in Klamath County. The backbone of the organization is Dains, the evil foreman. Four-legged Buddy is the only witness when Dains kills a man and then frames Paul Andrews for the deed. The sheriff hustles Andrews off to prison. When Dains notices that Buddy won’t stop staring at him (hounding him?), he orders a lumberjack named Mills to kill the dog. Instead of killing Buddy, Mills proceeds to tie him up and muzzle him, planning to sell him. Buddy escapes, and there’s a climactic race against time as Buddy rushes to the courthouse to clear Andrews. The photography throughout this film is excellent, especially in the exterior sequences, and the editing is brisk. 27 May 2005 | by F Gwynplaine MacIntyre (Minffordd, North Wales)
June 12 1924 The Rim Lodge opens with 800 people visiting the first day.
July 1924 Maximum air temperature for the month, 91 degrees as measured at Annie Spring.
July 3 1924 The “Wilbur” a 40 passenger, 34 foot launch is slid over the rim at the Wine Glass. Six men work for 3 days greasing skids with lard in order to complete the launch. A few bears discover the lard bucket one night and haul it off. The boat was named in honor of one of the boat builders, Wilbur Telford of Klamath Falls. The Wilbur is destroyed when the boat house on the island is crushed by a 1927 – 28 snow storm and the boat is set adrift.
July 27 1924 The “Medford Mail Tribune” reports that A.S. Rosenbaum and party make record auto trip. “Left Medford in the morning, breakfast at Crater Lake, lunch at Klamath Falls and the group returns to Medford for supper.”
July 28 1924 The M.T. reports that a forest fire forces the closure of Rim Road.
August 1924 Crater Lake is the only National Park in the nation to pay its own way with entrance fees.
Stephen Mather visits the park.
August 27 1924 The M.T. reports that after singing all summer at Crater Lake, the Kentucky Ranger Quartet returns to the blue grass country.
Summer 1924 Mt. Scott lookout constructed by the Forest Service.
New west wing of the Lodge and 24 new rooms are completed.
Steven Mather, director, wants to add to the Park the beautiful Diamond Lake area, including Mt. Thielsen, and Mt. Bailey to the north and to push the southern boundary beyond Mt. McLoughlin. This would cost the Forest Service something in excess of 100,000 acres. “Steven Mather of the National Parks”, page 177.
24,000 Rainbow Trout liberated in the Lake.
Superintendent Thompson diverts funds ear-marked for the construction of a Superintendent’s residence into the construction of a Rim Community Center (Rim Center). “Typical of Thompson’s whole hearted and unselfish interest in the development of the park”. Superintendent Thomson saw the construction of a Rim Center as a way to establish a NPS presence at Rim Village. A considerable less ambitious building was built than the one originally planned by the Superintendent: “A shake community house, designed in imitation of a wigwam and containing a large central circular fireplace to be constructed at the Rim auto camp ground.”
The Community House quickly became the center of evening camp life on the Rim, where Americans from all over the country rubbed elbows in that friendly communion which it is also the privilege of the parks to promote. – Superintendent Thompson.
From the Medford Mail Tribune – No exact date given: Col. C.G. Thomson Grimly Battling Nicotine Evil. Looking sadly disconsolate and with twitching hands and an awful pallor on his face, Park Superintendent C.G. Thomson, who stopped smoking four days ago, sat at his desk looking out the window of his office in the federal building in Medford, but apparently seeing nothing of the beautiful spring landscape today. Superintendent Thompson’s stoppage of the nicotine habit was started four days ago. Just how long he can hold out this time is problematical but from his shaky condition today it will not be long until he is backsliding. All of which recalls to mind that years ago when Alex Sparrow was superintendent of Crater Lake National Park, on the day that had been completely spoiled by some miscreant throwing some water mellon rinds in the stove at his headquarters at government camp, the night before, which he discovered in scant raiment early that morning when he tried to build a quick fire, he endeavored to thread a darning needle. In those days all Crater National Park Superintendents darned their own socks. It seems that at the time of this effort Mr. Sparrow was smoking his second cigaret (sic) in four month’s time. Missing the eye of the darning needle with the thread twice in succession he disgustedly threw away his cigarette with with the exclamation, “These darn cigarets are getting the best of me. I’ll quit right here and now before the habit becomes too firmly fixed!”
Kiser Studio is enlarged. The small wing was added to provide one-day photo developing service at Crater Lake.
Each summer, up until 1937, the Ray Henderson family lived in tent houses in the Rim Campground while Ray worked as a Ranger Naturalist. The family used two tents, 30 by 15. One tent was used for cooking and eating and the other one used for sleeping. One or two summers were spent living above the old Kiser Studio. (Story related to the author by their daughter.)
1924 – 1929 Walter Nitzel works as a seasonal ranger for 5 years.
Season 1924 Visitation: 64,312
***previous*** — ***next***
***menu***
