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1937
1937 The Alex Sparrow Memorial Highway is established between Prospect and the Park’s west boundary.
May 31 1937 Irma Fraley, age 17, falls to her death from Rim Village, near Crater Lake Lodge while on a youth outing from the Church of Christ of Medford. Her brother Frances Fraley, age 13, was killed while riding his bike on Jacksonville Highway, May 12, 1935. Both siblings are buried at Siskiyou Memorial Park, Medford, Oregon near William Gladstone Steel’s grave. (Story collected from Irma Layton of Medford, May 2018 by the author. Irma was born several months after her aunt Irma’s death and was her namesake.)
From Steve Mark, Park Historian in the Admin History: Erma Fraley, 17, Medford, Oregon, was killed in almost the same spot as the tragedy of the previous July. She was walking on snow inside the rim against the rules of better judgment and in violation of park regulations. In her spirit of daring, she suddenly slipped and rolled and plunged to within 80 feet of the lake shore. Her body was badly broken. Park rangers, accompanied by CCC enrollees, risked life and limb by climbing down a long slide over trecherous snow to reach the body. A rowboat was also lowered from the rim to enable the party to row a half-mile to the girl. The body was carried up a thousand feet of the slide and then attached to a cable and hoist to pull it up the remaining distance.
Dozens of warnings were given during the year to visitors venturing over the crater wall and several rescues were made. Venturesome visitors climbed down the wall or up from the water and became trapped so that they could not return or proceed.
Interesting how oral stories change through the years. The next two stories are about the same incident, but the facts are totally out of whack.
May 30 1937 Twelve-year-old Frances Fraley falls to his death from behind the Lodge, during a snow outing with a Christian Endeavor group up from Medford. Apparently he rode a sled over the edge. Fraley’s body was never recovered. (Story related by Mrs. VerNetta Brainerd of Jacksonville told to the author.) (Some accounts say that he was 16 or 17 and that he fell while skiing and that the accident happened in 1938 or 39. The boy was Australian born.)
Sister of Frances, Irma Fraley, was present when Frances fell. In an interview in 2006, Irma Layton (named after her aunt – Irma Fraley – said they were from First Christian Church of Medford. A youth group. “He fell off the edge of the snowbank. His body was mush. Bernie Huges helped with the rescue.” Story related by Irma Layton, 4584 Old Stage Road, Central Point, Oregon – 541-664-2728 .
But this story conflicts with the same story related by the same lady 12 years later.
One story says that as soon as the car stopped, young Frances raced up the snowbank without looking where he was going and the snowbank gave way, plunging Fraley into the Caldera.
Summer 1937 Guy Hartell of Klamath Falls begins working on road crew and as a snowplow operator. Leaves in 1942 when the Park closes because of the War and is rehired in 1956 after spending 14 years working for the State Highway Department. Guy finally retires in 1970.
Rim Drive is paved.
100,000 Rainbow trout and 50,000 Silver Salmon released into the Lake. 1270 anglers fished from row boats with 1307 fish being taken.
August 4 1937 E.P. Leavitt enters on duty as Park Superintendent transferring from Lassen Volcanic National Park. Mr. Leavitt still holds longevity record of Park superintendent: 15 years. Arant is second with 11 years.
While serving at Lassen, the Leavitt’s trailer caught fire burning Mrs. Leavitt to death. Mr. Leavitt came to Crater Lake as a widower. While living in Medford he met and married widow Katherine “Kit” Sue Nealon. Mrs. Leavitt’s family was early homesteaders in the Table Rock area of the Rogue Valley. (Story related by Alex Hamilton, August 25, 2006)
From August 1, 1937 to March 14, 1952, Ernest P. Leavitt served as park superintendent, the longest tenure of any person in that position. Born in San Francisco, California, in 1885 he worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1907 to 1910. In the latter years he began his Park Service career as a clerk at Yosemite National Park, later becoming an administrative assistant to the superintendent and ultimately assistant superintendent from 1918 to 1930.
Thereafter, he served in successive superintendencies at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1931-33), Mesa Verde National Park (1933-35), and Lassen Volcanic National Park (1935-37). While at Lassen a gas explosion destroyed the superintendent’s residence, severely injuring Leavitt and killing his wife. After his recovery Leavitt was transferred to Crater Lake. He retired from the Park Service and lived in the Medford area until his death in 1961.
August 1937 Dr. Arthur Hasler of the University of Wisconsin lowers an 8-inch-diameter white Secchi disk into the lake and observes it disappearing at the extraordinary depth of 131 feet. (See 1969)
October 10 1937 The Medford Mail Tribune reports that Chief Ranger Carlisle Crouch directed the planting of 100,000 rainbow fingerling trout in Crater Lake. The fish were obtained from the Klamath sate fish hatchery. They augmented a planting of 50,000 fingerlings from the Butte Falls hatchery last month. A total of 100,000 fingerlings are to be planted this month also in an effort to stock the more important of the park’s streams.
Angling for the current season in the lake is drawing to an end. Rowboats for trolling were taken off the water this week, as well as launches for excursions. Anglers have been fishing from the shore with fair success.
Season 1937 Record Visitation to date of 202,403.
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