The Crater Lake National Park Company was sold by R.W. Price in 1954 to Harry W. and Harry C. Smith, father and son restaurant operators from Spokane, Washington. The new proprietors made various improvements to concession facilities during the five years they owned the company. A new addition to the cafeteria was completed in 1956, and the dining room, lounge, lobby, sales area, and nine guest rooms in the lodge were remodeled during 1957-58. Other refinements were made to the lodge, and newspapers heralded the fact that it had 114 rooms able to accommodate 294 people and 90 employees. In 1958 the Standard Oil Company constructed a new service station and employees’ dormitory at park headquarters under the terms of its subcontract. [61]
On June 4, 1959, Ralph O. Peyton and James M. Griffin of Portland purchased the Crater Lake National Park Company. Their firm, Crater Lake Lodge, Inc., did not begin operating the park concession, however, until October 1. One of the first innovations introduced by the new owners was a temporary tent-top wood frame-and-floor structure to serve as an ice-salon and staple grocery supply point near the Mazama Campground for the 1960 season. [62]
As the existing concession contract was nearing expiration on December 31, 1960, Park Service officials entered into negotiations with Peyton and Griffin concerning new contractual arrangements. One of the principal issues discussed in these meetings was the deteriorating condition and future use of the lodge. Both sides felt that the lodge was not worth expending large sums for rehabilitation, modernization, and fire-proofing. For a period of time the Park Service considered purchasing the outmoded lodge and converting it into a visitor center with a museum, information room, and auditorium for lectures. If this were done the concessioner would build a two-story, 250-guest motel across the parking area east of the lodge and construct additional dining facilities. Nothing came of these negotiations, and a new contract was approved for the park concession in Fate 1960. [63]
Park visitation continued to increase during the 1960s with an average annual total of nearly 500,000 for the decade. The highest annual total for the period occurred in 1962 when 592,124 persons entered the park. Superintendent Yeager attributed that figure, which was more than 175,000 above the previous high, to two articles on the park that were printed in the July issue of National Geographic combined with travel to and from the World’s Fair at Seattle from April 21 to October 21. Throughout the decade park visitation was encouraged by articles in national periodicals. [64]
