VIII. Roads of Crater Lake
National Park
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B. Entrance Road and Bridges
11.
Restraints Imposed by Snow and a World War
Originally Crater Lake National
Park operated only in the summer, and as a result, park improvements and
facilities had been oriented toward seasonal use. In the early 1930s a plan for
removing snow from the park roads as it fell was tried experimentally and proved
satisfactory. As a result of the demand of winter sports enthusiasts, park roads
were opened to visitors for the first time during the winter of 1935-36 in
cooperation with the Oregon State Highway Commission, which kept the snow plowed
from the approach roads as far as the park boundary The National Park Service
first regarded winter operation of the park as a service only to winter
sportsmen, but upon realizing that many people liked to see the park in the
winter months, the government adopted a policy of year-round use. After that the
park was kept open and accessible throughout the year except during the Second
World War when snow removal equipment was loaned to the army; the staff reduced
from twenty-five permanent employees to eight or nine; transportation, lodging,
meal, and boat services suspended; the interpretive staff abolished;
administrative, protective, maintenance, repair, and operational services
curtailed to a minimum; and surplus trucks, tools, equipment, and supplies
disposed of to war agencies. The main effort of the remaining park staff during
that time was devoted to protection of the park from fire during the summer
months.
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