People and Oral Histories

Oral Histories of Crater Lake Employees and Others

These Oral Histories have been recorded and then later transcribed – sometimes decades later. They represent invaluable links to Crater Lake’s past – and they’re great reading too.

Naturalists 1974 Front R Larson, Affolter, Hernandez, Gorski, Edwards, Eggen, Holcomb Middle Poirier, Stahl Top Hoskins, McDonough, Nelson, Belthran, Lahey, White, Mason, Rose
Jump here to Crater Lake Centennial Celebration oral histories
  1. Crater Lake National Park Oral History Series Reference Guide, This guide outlines all those interviewees who participated in the Oral History Series, provides an index, and an introduction to the Oral History Series
  2. George B. Hartzog, Jr., Director, National Park Service, 1964-1972, William C. Everhart, Consultant
  3. MSNBC interview with Jon Jarvis, December 16, 2020
  4. Oral History Interview of Robert Utley (PDF file), Interviewed by S. Herbert Evison, May, 1973, 1980
  5. Albert Hackert and Otto Hackert, Crater Lake seasonal maintenance employees, 1922-1924
  6. Hazel Frost, wife of park ranger, W.T. “Jack” Frost, who served at Crater Lake 1936-1943
  7. James Kezer, Ranger-naturalist 1951-52, noted cell biologist and emeritus professor of biology at the University of Oregon. A world authority on salamander chromosomes
  8. F. Owen Hoffman, Seasonal naturalist 1966-68; Owen also conducted limnological studies on Crater Lake
  9. Douglas Larson, Limnologist; worked intermittently on Crater Lake 1967-85, laid foundation for current lake monitoring program
  10. Carrol Howe, Crater Lake National History Association board member, 1982-87; died 1998; prominent historian and author of Klamath County since the mid-1930s
  11. Wayne R. Howe, Crater Lake park ranger, 1946-50, acting regional director 1975
  12. Francis G. Lange, Junior landscape architect, 1929 – 1931, resident landscape architect 1934-40, died 1998
  13. Lawrence Merriam C., Jr., Son of regional director Lawrence C. Merriam (1950-63) and grandson of research facilitator John C. Merriam (1928-43). Emeritus professor of forestry at the U. of Minnesota
  14. Marvin Nelson, Retired 1969 after 16 years as the park administrative officer
  15. Doug and Sadie Roach, storekeeper (warehouse) 1934-42. Sadie died 1997
  16. James S. Rouse, Crater Lake National Park superintendent 1978-83.
  17. John Salinas, Crater Lake National Park seasonal interpretive ranger 1978-82, resource management seasonal 1983-85, contract lirnnologist 1988-present
  18. Larry Smith, Crater Lake National Park seasonal interpretive ranger 1961-85
  19. Earl Wall, CCC enrollee 1934.
  20. Donald M. Spalding, Crater Lake National Park superintendent 1967-70
  21. Wendell Wood, Frequent visitor since 1978 and representative of local environmental group (Oregon Natural Resources Council)
  22. John Lowry Dobson, Highly influential amateur astronomer most well known in astronomy circles as his name is attached to the popular Dobsonian telescope design
  23. O. W. “Pete” Foiles, Permanent ranger at Crater Lake from December 1939 to October of 1942
  24. Bruce W. Black, Chief Park Naturalist 1959-63
  25. Emmett Blanchfield, Forestry technician 1930, ranger-naturalist 1931; later became landscape architect for the Forest Service and California State Parks
  26. Ted Arthur, Seasonal naturalist 1958-70
  27. Robert Benton, Superintendent 1984-91
  28. Howard Arant, Seasonal laborer 1928-34, died 1997; he was the grandson of first park superintendent W.F. Arant
  29. John Eliot Allen, seasonal naturalist at Crater Lake, 1935, subsequently pursued field career in geology, then professor at Portland State University; died 1996
  30. Kirk Horn obituary, former Crater Lake Ranger 1939 -2019
  31. Mabel Hegepeth  1930-1943
  32. Crater Lake Centennial Celebration oral histories
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