1924 - Smith Brothers Crater Lake National Park Chronology

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Smith Brothers' Chronological History of Crater Lake National Park

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<< 1923 1924 1925 >>

January

“Pictures were taken of the frozen Lake.” Reported in the Portland Oregonian.

January 16

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 usual thing. Most of the ice will disappear by now, the wind breaking it up and driving it to the north shore.”

February 12

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

Several peeposcopes 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.

June 12

The Rim Lodge opens with 800 people visiting the first day.

July

Maximum temperature for the month, 91 degrees as measured at Annie Spring.

July 3

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

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

The M.T. reports that a forest fire forces the closure of Rim Road.

August

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

The M.T. reports that after singing all summer at Crater Lake, the Kentucky Ranger Quartet returns to the bluegrass country.

Summer

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.”

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.

1924 - 1929