REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK. CRATER LAKE, OREG., October 1, 1911. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the conditions and the administration of the affairs in the Crater Lake National Park since July 1, 1910: GENERAL STATEMENT. The Crater Lake National Park was created by act of Congress approved May 22, 1902. It is situated in Klamath County, Oreg., and has an area of 249 square miles, or 159,360 acres. Crater Lake is near the summit of the Cascade Range, in the crater of an extinct volcano which is estimated to have been more than 16,000 feet high. The lake, which is practically in the center of the park, is approximately 6 miles long and 4 miles wide, and has a water surface of 204 square miles. The lake is 6,177 feet above sea level and the depth of the water is 2,001 feet. The almost vertical walls of the great caldera in which the lake is situated rise from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the surface of the water. Crater Lake was first discovered by John Hilman, the leader of a party of gold hunters, on June 12, 1853, and was next seen by white men October 1, 1862, by Chauncey Nye and his party of prospectors and miners. It was known by some of the officers and enlisted men of Fort Klamath, Oreg., as early as 1865, but did not come into much prominence until about 1885, since which time many thousands of visitors and admirers have been attracted to its shores by its beauty and grandeur. Crater Lake is 498 miles north of San Francisco, Cal., and is reached by way of the Southern Pacific Railroad, 436 miles, to Klamath Falls, Oreg., thence by steamer across Klamath Lake to Agency Landing, thence by automobile or team via Fort Klamath. The lake is 62 miles from Klamath Falls and 22 miles from Fort Klamath. The Crater Lake National Park is 416 miles south of Portland, Oreg., and is reached by way of the Southern Pacific Railroad to Medford, 332 miles, or to Ashland, 344 miles; thence by automobile or team. The lake is 84 miles from Medford and 96 miles from Ashland. IMPROVEMENT WORK. At the beginning of the season of 1910 lumber and other necessary building materials were purchased and the work of repairing the buildings which were found to be so badly damaged in the spring of 1909 was resumed. This work was done in the most substantial manner possible, At the beginning of the season, and while the work of repairing the buildings was being carried on, all the roads, trails, and bridges were put in the best condition possible with the very small working force available. As before, the appropriation for the protection and improvement of the park for the fiscal year 1911 (season of 1910) was very small, and the improvement work was necessarily limited in extent." During the previous season no new bridges were built and not a great amount of repair work upon the existing ones was necessary. No new fences were built during that season, but those fences inclosing pasture and necessary lots and corrals were repaired. At the beginning of October, 1910, the tourist travel in and through the park was almost ended for the season, as the weather became stormy and cold. About the 1st of the month the general work of the season was discontinued, though the usual work of removing the flooring from the bridges in order to prevent them from being broken down by snow, and of preparing the buildings, fences, and gates, and other property for the winter was carried on. This work was completed during November. All the buildings were securely closed, the boat on the lake and all the tools were safely stored, and all other property was put in the best possible condition for the winter. On November 22, the snow being 2 feet deep and still falling, and all the roads in or through the park being closed to travel, I moved to my winter quarters at Klamath Falls, arriving there on November 26. The snow at this latter date was not less than 8 feet deep at the headquarters in the park. In May, 1911, I made a trip into the park to look after the property of the park and to try to find some trace, if possible, of the lost photog rapher, B. B. Bakowski. The buildings, bridges, and other property of the reserve were found to be in as good condition as could reasonably be expected. During the past winter the snow was very deep in the park, but the buildings were not injured, as they had been strongly rebuilt after having been damaged by the deep snows of 1909. On June 5 I returned to Klamath Falls from the trip into the park, and later in the same month I again went into the reserve to ascertain the conditions in regard to the snow disappearing and the prospects for getting up to the headquarters for the season's work. During a portion of June a man with a team was employed in clearing the roads of the logs and trees which had fallen during the winter months. During the past spring and summer the snow remained longer than usual and consequently both the tourist season and the working season opened later. There was no tourist travel in the park until the middle of July. During July the roads, trails, and bridges were repaired by a small force of men, and by the end of the month they were in fairly good condition for the tourist travel of the season. During August the improvement work was continued upon the roads, trails, and bridges, and some slight repairs were made upon the buildings and fences. Some time and labor were expended in patrolling portions of the park and in extinguishing some small forest fires which had become started during the exceedingly dry weather. |