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1983
1984
1985
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Winter
$800,000 is programmed to begin remodeling the old Ranger Dorm
to provide offices, curatorial space, a visitor contact station
and a small auditorium.
$71,400 is spent each winter plowing the access road from
Headquarters to Rim Village. If year round lodging and an
Interpretation Center were added to Rim Village, the road
clearing cost would rise to an estimated $230,000 or
more. Related costs of maintaining a year-round lodge at the Rim
are estimated to run at about $656,000. (All this cost for
providing winter access for only 30 lodge rooms.)
March 23,24 & 25
A three day search is conducted for an overdue ski party (Finkbender
& Walker). The lost party is discovered N.E. of Mt. Scott and
rescued by a helicopter from the 304 Air Rescue Squadron.
March
Several public hearings concerning the future of Crater Lake
Lodge are held around the state. Previous public hearings had
determined that the public desired to save the historic
structure, but cost estimates keep escalating. The estimated
$8.6 million needed for the Rim Village reconstruction projects
causes the NPS to reevaluate its position. The Park Service,
facing reality, finally proposes that the 68 year old Lodge be
demolished.
The Government’s preferred alternative to the Rim development is
a $8.54 million expansion of the Cafeteria Building and the
construction of a 58 room, year-round guest room addition. The
money would also be used to remove several smaller structures,
and the building of a new Rim parking lot back away from the
edge of the Caldera, with the present parking lot being turned
into a pedestrian mall. 32 housekeeping cabins and a central
Lodge office and lounge would be built in the Goodbye area, with
more cabins and a store being constructed at Annie Spring. A new
sewer line would carry sewage away from Rim Village on down to
Park Headquarters for treatment. The leach fields west of Rim
Village would be closed. The old Annie Creek Campground is
proposed to be reopened as a group campground.
March 20
The first public hearing on the proposed Rim Redevelopment opens
in Klamath Falls with three others soon following in Medford,
Roseburg and Salem.
80% of the people surveyed want the old Lodge saved.
April
The U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals return to
the Klamath Indians their ancestral hunting rights. The disputed
area includes the eastern portion of Crater Lake National
Park. A test case is expected soon.
The Park’s interpretive work center and Park library are moved
from the Old Ranger Dorm into the second story of the Old Mess
Hall. This is the work center’s sixth move in 18 years.
April 16
Robert E. Benton enters on duty as Cater Lake’s 22nd
superintendent, transferring in from Bryce Canyon. Benton
states, “Crater Lake has been neglected too long. Our time has
come.”
April 17
A light plane, flying in dense fog and drizzle, crashes into 140
inches of snow, 1000 feet north of the northern boundary of the
Park. The pilot, Joseph Kemery, 26, and his wife Heather, 22,
are both killed.
May 29
The Medford Mail Tribune reports that Superintendent Jim Rouse
has squelched rumors that Crater Lake has heated up and killed
the fish. Many people are calling.
June
Sierra Club officials express concern about proposed geothermal
drilling near the eastern boundary of the Park. California
Energy Company has filed for permission to drill nine test holes
down to 4,000 feet. The exploratory holes would be 8 inches at
the surface, narrowing to 2.5 inches at the bottom.
The name of Forgotten Crater, between Hillman and the Watchman,
is officially changed to Williams Crater, by the Oregon
Geographic Names Board in memory of geologist Howell
Williams. The name change was first suggest by Dr. Charles
Bacon, U.S.G.S. geologist.
The Park institutes a major P.R. campaign to encourage donations
of people, money or equipment.
Seasonal Ranger Larry Smith sets a new Park record by moving
into his 14th residence, since 1962, which have included
trailers, dorms, cabins and the Stone Houses.
A team of historical architects and engineers survey the Park’s
historic building. A plan is to be formulated on how best to use
and preserve the grand old buildings.
June 24
NPS Director Russell Dickerson states that all development
should be removed from Rim Village except for an interpretive
center in the Cafeteria Building and further states that
continued use of the Crater Lake Lodge contradicts NPS policy to
remove all non resource- related facilities from prime resource
areas.
Summer
A contract worth $102,665 is awarded to Baker Construction of
Klamath Falls for the replacement of the comfort stations down
at Cleetwood Cove. The new solar powered potties are expected to
require less maintenance.
Sharon Hackerott, 21, of Ashland, Oregon becomes the Lodge
Company’s first female boat driver.
June 1
The Park’s procurement division discovers over $500 worth of
Lost & Found property, including cameras and watches, missing
from the L&F storeroom.
June 20
Harry Lee “Hawk” McGinnis of Dallas, Texas arrives in the Park
eying a new Guiness Record. Hawk plans to be the first person to
have walked in all 50 states during one single trip. McGinnis,
57, a retired minister, plans to complete the trip by his 60th
birthday. He has completed 10 states so far and plans to write
two books about his travels.
July
Park officials become very concerned about the proposed
geothermal drilling along the east park boundary. “In 1,000
years Crater Lake will be one of the true benchmarks of
untouched land. We have a responsibility to protect that”, says
Superintendent Bob Benton. Resource Management Specialist Jan
Jarvis says, “We are not an island in the middle of an
ocean. Things that go on around us have an effect on us.”
July 5
A new Boston Whaler boat and a new aluminum research boat (The
Queen III), worth collectively $24,000, are airlifted into the
Lake from the Cafeteria parking lot. Several loads of fire wood
are also delivered to Mt. Scott and the Watchman fire lookouts.
The total job took 3 hours at a cost of $1,000 per hour.
July 12
A vehicle flips and rolls 150 down an embankment, below Rim
Village, slightly injuring a female Lodge employee.
July 16
John Hillman, 62, of Walnut Grove, MS, collapses and dies of
Acute Posterior Myocardial Infraction while attempting to climb
Cleetwood Cove Trail. An attempt to evacuate the victim by
helicopter fails because CPR could not be administered in the
confines of the cabin. Evacuation was instead by the
concession’s trail tractor.
July 27
The Lodge reports a theft of $116 in tips from the Watchman
Lounge.
August
Eleven year-old Amber Smith accidentally takes the west side of
Munson Ridge instead of the east side as she walks from Rim
Village to Headquarters. Four hours later, after chasing
butterflies and wondering why the trip was taking so long, Amber
finds herself walking west on the West Entrance road, thinking
she is still above Headquarters. Finally realizing she is lost
and not sure of where she is, a visitor stops after seeing Amber
crying and offers her a ride back to Headquarters.
August
Lightning strikes a clump of three Mountain Hemlocks alongside
the Cafeteria Building in Rim Village. Since the day was a warm
and cloudless day, the lightning literally “came out of the
blue”. Hot, twisted and split wood fragments were scattered
around a large area.
August 1
The NPS announces that the “historic but dilapidated” Lodge is
to be closed and demolished. The decision is part of a plan to
remove all major development from the Rim to near the Park
entrance. “The 68 year old lodge is so poorly built and so badly
deteriorated that it cannot be rehabilitated for use as an
overnight lodge. The structure will be razed only after it has
further deteriorated.” All accommodations, roads and parking
lots are to be rebuilt in Munson Valley at a cost of $5 million.
Opposition grows against the planned destruction of a “much
loved” building.
August 2
The Klamath Falls Herald and News reports that the excessive
camping fee of $8 plus for a family per night has been keeping
people out of Mazama Campground. Superintendent Benton requests
the Lodge Company to reduce the rate to a flat $6 per night.
August 3
Superintendent Benton declares Crater Lake is the “toughest
park” in which to live. “We need to do everything we can to
alleviate the negatives of living at Crater Lake. When Klamath
Falls and Medford have turned to Spring, the mere fact that you
can look out and know it is Spring everywhere but at Crater Lake
is very stressful.” (K.F. H&N)
Superintendent Benton question the appropriateness of the Crater
Lake Rim “I’m bothered by the disruption of normal
visitation. There is a lot of internal controversy within the
park as to its legality. You are closing the park specifically
for a special interest group.” (H&N)
August 10
Chris Ellis, 27, of New York, visits Crater lake and takes a
boat ride after riding cross country for six weeks on his
bike. Ellis plans to bike down the North Coast of California,
and then across Colorado, averaging 80 - 100 miles per day, for
a total of 4,600 miles. Chris’s greatest mileage was 408 miles
in four days.
August 11
Crater Lake’s 9th annual Rim Run.
6.7 miles Bob Jones, Crater Lake 35.36
Signe Harrange, Portland 42.23
13.1 miles Russel Morris, Portland 1:18.31
Connie Reints, Bend 1:36.07
26.2 miles Al Glidden, Klamath Falls 2:40.51
Leonard Hill, Klamath Falls 2:40.51
Kathy Parker, of Georgia 3:54.27
August 11
Seasonal Ranger Larry Smith begins wearing a new “Flat Hat”
after retiring his old hat of 20 seasons.
August 13
The Energy Siting Council finds that the Crater Lake geothermal
drilling sites are inappropriately located and postpones
drilling. This decision puts $45,000 in Klamath County drilling
revenues in jeopardy.
August 28
Opposition begins to mount opposing the NPS’s decision to
demolish the Crater Lake Lodge. A coalition of Oregon non-profit
organizations announce plans to fight the demolition
decision. The coalition claims that the rehabilitation costs are
inflated and erroneous and that the Government’s contention that
the Lodge is slipping into the Caldera is unsubstantiated. The
group also claims that the agency is allowing an internal
department policy to override national environmental policy.
August 29
The U.S.G.S places an oceanographic seismograph in the Lake. A
seismograph is also placed at East Lake and one at Paulina Lake,
both at Newberry Crater.
September
Seven Park children begin attending Prospect schools, rather
than the Chiloquin schools. Prospect’s four-day school week will
cut down on commuting time.
September
Seasonal Ranger Larry Smith “retires” after working at the Park
over a period of 24 years. He and his brother, Lloyd, continue
to work as volunteers in the park.
September 17
The NPS selects a design and engineering team headed by the
Portland architectural firm of Fletcher, Finch and Ayotto to
replace or rehabilitate the Crater Lake Lodge. The team will
provide design, planning and engineering services to the
Park. The group is required to have a site selected by November
1 for the new Lodge.
October 3
NPS Director Russ Dickerson, announces a new evaluation of the
Crater Lake Lodge. “The old lodge is absolutely marvelous. It
would be a tragedy if we didn’t try to preserve it. We have
reconsidered our recommendation to demolish the structure.”
October 19
The Medford Mail Tribune reports that Sara Jameson, of the
Crater Lake Ski Service, quits after providing cross country
service for six winters. The ski service wasn’t making enough
money to justify continuing and a subcontract agreement couldn’t
be reached with the Lodge Company. The concessionaire plans to
run the cross country program this winter. (Which they
discontinued during the winter of 1996.)
October 30
4th highest recorded lake level since 1892.
November
A snowfall of 157 inches is recorded during the month.
December 14
BLM state director approves the drilling of four test holes near
the East park boundary. The U.S. Forest Service concurs. The
Oregon Natural Resources Council files a strong protest. “We
will see a review in the Federal Courts.”
1984 Fiscal Year: 84-85, Park Budget set at $1.7 million
Season Visitation: 499,943
<<
1983
1984
1985
>>
