Chiseled from a boulder, this unfinished work of art blends almost perfectly into a subalpine forest of mountain hemlock. It will be 80 years old this October and shows a few signs of age. The most noticeable is pitting in the once smooth volcanic rock, but there are also some details that have begun to fade with time. In spite of its inevitable decay, the sculpture is still striking and should remain recognizable well into the next century.

Oddly enough, the Lady of the Woods was its creator's first attempt at sculpture. At the time of its carving, Earl Russell Bush was a 31 year old medical doctor who attended to the road crews that built the first rim drive around Crater Lake. The season's work had largely ceased by the end of September 1917, and he found himself with almost two weeks at his disposal.....continue reading....An Offering in the Forest, Nature Notes From Crater Lake, by Steve Mark, Vol. 28, 1997.