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1976
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Winter
John Day (in his 60’s) of Medford and the Italian Olympic ski
team ski around the Rim in 6.5 hours. The Italian team claims
that the snow conditions were so perfect, that if they hadn’t
had “Old John” with them, they could have done the 36 miles in
2.75 hours. A snowmobile broke trail and set track ahead of the
team.
Winter
Free Ranger-led snowshoes hikes begun at Rim Village.
January
Park Master Plan accepted for Crater Lake National Park. The
plans call for keeping the Park as is, except for some small
improvements. Mazama Campground will be extended by 50 tent
sites and a camper store will be built. The Rim Center, Visitor
Center and the Lodge sleeping cabins will be removed. The plans
also call for a rerouting of the Rim Village cross traffic away
from the edge of the Caldera and a restoration of the area with
native plants. When funds become available, an all-weather
Visitors Center will be built on the Rim in the middle of the
old parking lot, in front of the Cafeteria. Thus the Visitors
Center will become the focal point of interest and not
the souvenir shop.
January 16
Jackson County Sheriff Deputies arrest three subjects on Highway
62 who had stolen a purse from a car at Rim Village. The whole
incident turns out to be a misunderstanding.
April
Mr. George Woodfield, of Yakima, Washington, donates John
Maben’s collection of negatives, manuscripts, diaries and
photographs of Crater Lake to the Oregon Historical
Society. John Maben was the first winter caretaker of
Crater
Lake Lodge in 1924. Maben had attracted considerable attention
when his monthly dispatches about his solitary life at Cater
Lake were published in national magazines. Maben’s collection
was presented to the OHS in memory of Alta Knips Woodfield,
Maben’s niece, who had done a great deal of research on the
history of Crater Lake.
May
Least yearly snowfall on record - 251.21 inches. (21 feet), but
one of the wettest months on record.
May
Excessive rain and low snow pack causes extensive damage to the
North Road. In order to minimize shoulder damage, the road crews
removes the boards covering the entrance to the North Junction
Cave and allows 2 feet per second of water to drain into the
cave for two weeks. The cave never did fill.
June 4
The North Road is finally closed because of hazardous washout
conditions in the Red Cone area caused by heavy snow run-off
promoted by warm temperatures and the frozen ground.
Rescue of two young men from below Discovery Point.
June 10
Senator Mark Hatfield visits Crater Lake and is hosted by the
Concessionaire for breakfast.
July
John Wesley Hillman’s grand niece, Pearl Verschoor of Medford,
visits the Park.
Barry Vogel, boat driver, ascends the Cleetwood Trail in 10
minutes, 20 seconds and sets his sights on Olympic competition.
Two visitor vehicles burn to the ground.
Dutton Creek Trail is reopened to the public after many years of
disuse. The trail was the original, 1860’s, 70’s and 80’s wagon
trail to the Rim.
Construction begun on the widening of the first three miles of
the West Rim Drive, beginning at Rim Village.
July 4
Steven Hummerville, 14, of Wilmington, Delaware, falls to his
death while attempting to climb down to the Lake from behind the
lodge. His brother Mike, 15, is rescued after failing to reach
his brother. The father, an engineer for Dupont, had planned to
take the boys on a boat trip, following short noon-time nap in
the Lodge. Steven’s mother had died the previous summer.
July 23
Four car clouters arrested by Rangers Lloyd Smith and Bruce
Wadlington near Diamond Lake after stealing over $2,000 from two
vehicles parked at Cleetwood Cove. The four were brought back to
the Park and eventually lodged in the Jackson County Jail.
July 30
Two C.B. radios, worth $448, are stolen from a camper at Mazama
Campground through an elaborate confidence game.
August
The Lodge Company, along with the help of Paul Herron, age 73,
places new buoys at Cleetwood and removes the old anchors, which
had been made from old engine blocks.
One Peregrine falcon seen flying over the Lake.
August 1
Falling rocks on Cleetwood Cove Trail injures two women hikers.
The new Park Master Plan is now available for public inspection.
August 11
Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the nationally famous aerobics expert and
writer, visits the Park and walks the Lake Trail. Dr. Cooper is
impressed with the annual marathon run and wants to involve some
of his acquaintances. Dr. Cooper feels that people from all over
the country would come to Crater Lake if they know about the
run.
August 12
Second annual Crater Lake marathon draws 206 runners for the
three distance events. The winning time for the 26 mile run is 2
hours and 52 minutes and 18 seconds. A 63 year-old runner from
Sacramento, California completes the marathon.
Rim Run Winners:
Men: 6.5 Dave Ellison Klamath Falls, Oregon 34.36
13.0 Dean Erhard Corvallis, Oregon 1:20.27
26.2 Jeff Barrie Portland, Oregon 2.53.18
Women: 6.5 Carol Kohlsheim Crater Lake, Oregon 59.25
13.0 Vicky Paddock Klamath Fall, Oregon 1.51.14
26.2 Susan Thomas Murdo, South Dakota 3:36.42
August 14
Stolen van located at Rim Village.
August 17
The Oregon State Health Department, with the assistance of the
Fish and Game Commission, place Cosmic radiation detection
devices (thermoluminecient dosimeters) on a nylon rope at 30
meter increments anchored near the Lake’s deepest point. A buoy,
to aid in relocating the instruments, is placed 30 feet below
the surface to allow for stretching and not to be a hazard to
the Crater Lake launches. The Commission plans to leave the
instruments in place for 5 years.
August 25
The Annie Spring flow drops to 0.4 cubic feet of water per
second, or 200 gallons per minute. The lowest measurable flow on
record. The lowest previous flow for Annie Spring occurred in
1968, when it measured 1.43 cubic feet per second. Park
officials contemplate the drilling of wells to help augment the
85,000 gallons of water per day the Park consumes.
August 31
An unseasonably low snow pack allows the Scoria Cone snow plug
to melt out sufficiently to allow entry into he cone’s volcanic
vent for the first time. Ranger Pat Allender rappels
approximately 150 feet into the Scoria Cone Cave without finding
bottom.
Summer
Annie Spring reported to issue an average of 1,250,000 gallons
per day. (410,000 per day during the low years.)
P.B.S. TV and filming crews spend time in the Park making a
documentary film of the role of natural forest fires.
Car clouting in Mazama Campground. Six cars are entered with
cash and jewelry taken.
The axle of the old Lincoln that had fallen down behind the
Lodge years before is finally covered over from view by erosion
and pumice dust. (Paul Herron)
September
Several exploration of Scoria Cone follows Allender’s initial
exploration. Allender, Vic Affolter, and Phil Grant descends
over 150 feet into the feet and discover the “Ranger Room” cave,
measuring 50 feet across with a vertical relief of 40 feet. A 10
inch piece of wood with an apparent sawn end is retrieved and
identified as Douglas Fir. The wood is badly degraded. This type
of breakdown is caused by hot water and steam, so there is the
exciting possibility that the wood may have been in the vent
while the cone was still active. A further indication that the
wood is old is the lack of any Douglas fir in the area around
Scoria Cone today. Pat Allender retrieved the wood from the
lowest chamber of the vent. The wood sample was given to Joy
Mastrogiuseppe of Eastern Washington College in Pullman,
Washington, in hopes of getting the wood carbon dated.
Eventually dated at: 3900 years.
September 2
Rangers Sholly and Pat Allender rappel into Scoria Cone. The two
men spend 8 hours investigating several long sloping vents. Many
rooms are discovered with some measuring 50 feet long, by 20
feet wide and 20 feet high.
September 20
The first large scale exploration of the interior of Scoria Cone
is conducted by Dan Mason, Dave Lange, John Davis, Chief Ranger
Dan Sholly and Geology expert, Stan Mertzman. Sholly and Lange
descend to a depth of 400 to 500 feet and explore two additional
“chimneys” or conduits, 12 feet by 25 feet each with a vertical
relief of 200 feet. During the arduous trek out, near midnight,
the Chief is struck on the arm by a falling rock and because of
his injured arm, Dan is forced to pull himself out using only
one arm.
September 20
Mining is no longer allowed within any National Park areas
except for those claims already approved.
October
Contract awarded for installing a new PBX phone system.
October 14
The old North Entrance employee cabin is burned as a fire
training exercise. It used to house 4 seasonal rangers.
October
A sick ground squirrel found the North East corner of the park
is found to have Sylvan plague.
Season Visitation: 617, 479, a new Park record. Still holding as
of 1996
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