Historic Resource Study, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 1984
Preface
This Historic Resource Study has been prepared in accordance with the approved Task Directive for Crater Lake Package No. 217. It is oriented toward the identification and evaluation of the historical resources within the park in order to accomplish compliance with Executive Order 11593 and to provide basic reference material for planners, managers, and interpreters to facilitate the proper care and management of cultural properties.
The writer was delighted to find that, in addition to its impressive geological attributes, Crater Lake National Park possesses an absorbing and complex history. Especially interesting are the Indian legends explaining the lake’s formation, the area’s status as a sacred Indian quest site, its many rediscoveries by white men, and the series of events that culminated in the lake’s inclusion within the National Park System at a time when such conservation-oriented efforts were regarded with suspicion and surrounded with controversy. It is hoped that this report will serve as a comprehensive study of the area’s early history, that it will provide further understanding of the events leading to the establishment of Crater Lake National Park, and that it will enable intelligent management of the park’s remaining cultural resources and ensure their adequate inclusion in the park’s interpretive programs.
Many institutions provided valuable data during the course of this study. The writer would like to thank the staffs of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; the Oregon Historical Society, Portland; the Oregon State Library, Salem; the Southern Oregon Historical Society, Jacksonville; the Federal Archives and Records Center, San Bruno, California; and Renee Jaussaud of the Legislative and Natural Resources Branch of the National Archives, Washington, D.C. Individuals at Crater Lake National Park, especially Hank Tanski of the Interpretive staff, were extremely helpful in locating and loaning materials from the park library. And as usual, of utmost importance was the help of Ruth Larison, Librarian of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office, National Park Service, who steadily, and always cheerfully, requested reams of material for the author’s use. Thanks also to Vernon C. Tancil, retired National Park Service Regional Historian, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, Seattle, Washington, for his help in deciding the scope of the project and for his constructive criticism of the final document. Upon Mr. Tancil’s retirement, this report was also reviewed by Stephanie Toothman, historian of the regional office, whose comments were also much appreciated.
L.W.G.
1982
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