, 1873-08-03
CRATER LAKE,.


CRATER LAKE.
Tho N1ost Wonderful Isody of Winter
In t1Ac World.
Fort klamath {July 12) Correspondence Of tho Htto
1'ork Times
This waB once n region whoro volcanic forces
expended thoir utmost strength, and from tho
mountain range to tho wost camo tho successive
showers Of aBEos TINT built up tho Western
plains, and tho lava flows that made the sur
rounding spurs mud ridgos. Tho whole Cascade
range fB capped with extinct volcanoes, long
Quoncllcd, and now lifting yaat cones Of Bnow IN
placo Of tho fires that famed in tho agoB Of their
fiery history. But thoro 8oeu1s nowhoro else in
this great mountain chain to havo boon such m
ordeal Of hoat as was endured in tliB vicinity,
for not only docs MoLoughlin stand rs Bub-
limo evidence Of what were tho volcanic forces
Of tho past, but thoro aro evidences that oven
creator mountains stood near it, crownng tho
Cascade summit, which finally exhausted them-
selves, and wore burned out with their own flros.
or to tho southwest from hero is tito Snowy
Cluster, d mingled mass Of submits tint irregu~
larry striho tho eyo, high lifted above tho noun
thin range and scoming to lnvo common bnHo
When they nro Blrmounted, tho proBpcctor finds
TINT they constitute tho irregular rim Of great
lava field about 1vo miloB In diameter, rough nB
Gnu bo imagined, with dwarf hcmloclt growing in
It's midst, aud several tiny lalca standing like
bowls Of water hero and there; and NO hnyo rea-
son to believe that this mountain basin with no
outlet was once flaming crator, and TINT tho
clustered peaks TINT circle il in arc tho standing
| walls of aomo great volcanic mount, whose 1rea
revived and 10 fiorcely ilnnlcd aB to mot tho
mountain down and send its ashes oyor tho East
| ern desertB fnr and ncar.
About forty miles north OF the Snowy Cluster
o{a {ar,Ia ufr1ff1 md arpt, 1f
| show ridges. They arc to tho loft directly OF
| Mount Scott, aud III northerly dirocton from
| this place. Tho general course Of the Cascade
lfalEo IL north-north-wo1ta and soutI-south-
but right hero tho rapgo sways. eastward and
| throws out Mount Scott rs M advanced picket,
| behind which tho circling abutments rso that
/ hold within their embrace tho Mystic Lake, ono
Of tho most wonderful sheets Of watar to bo
found in all tho earth-G wonder that until lato
| was hidden from al the world aaye tho savage
| tribes who lived beside tho mountains in tho val
loys they cncrclo, They, saw it with great awe,
! visited it in thoir inspired moments, aud spoke
Of 1t AS sublime fact to bo hold in fear aud row.
! eronco.
! hayo lately visited Crater Lake, but not un-
| dor circumstances the most inspiring, for tho
season WAS not fully propitious for tho adyon-
! turo.
After two miles Of atoop climbing, whom wo
imagined ourselves at least 9000 feet aboyo tho
hnps tho vastest crater OIL tho face Of the earth.
The first impression WaH lofty sento Of alti-
| tudo, for we seemed to surmount the world. and
to bo identified with the submits to which I Ind
precision was thnt the Sky was below aB we'll as
| above us, which was only diapellcl whom I was
able to realzo that the great Bhcet OF blue that
| we looked down upon WIS water, aud not air.
brief acquaintance, to do justice to d scene Of
| such unusual grandeur aud wild and weird mag
| niflconce. Ny first Impression was disappolnt-
| meut. had hoard Of q beautiful lake crndloa
In Il
| ipicoa that ranged from 1,5oo to 5000 feet in
| height: My mind had pictured those walls close
ut hand, and imagined tho lake deep down bo-
| meath my feet; and there 1t all WAS, but on O
| scale so much grandor than my imagination was
nblo to conceive, that realization wns not tho full
| lllmcnt I expected. Instead Of lake whoBo
| walls wore close ut hand, tho watorB spread out
from six to ton miles away, and tllo cliffs that
| walled thom in were dwarfed By the distance,
until tho mind had studied and comprohondcd
| tho wildly majestic scene, md the eyo had
strengthened it's Impressions by the aid Of M
oxcel1ent leld-glasa.
10 the east Of uH was Mount Scott, distant
about miles, slopinG down to tho orator wall,
and forming section Of ita rim. In six or eight
placoB around tho great circle tho rim riaos to
points from 2, 600 to 5000 feet in height. Whore
| NO stood it had boon aB accurately measured as
possible, and ascertainod to be 1,500 feet high.
It about tho lowest place in tho groat circlo,
and ono Of tho fow placas whore q sscep gulch
worked it's way to the lake shore. or rather to
the lako, for us scanned tho luke wall for the
entire circuit OF Is to 80 mi1os-which may DO
| considered ltH circumference found no afgn Of
| shore, and tho lato Beomed to wash IN upright
wall. Even at the foot OF the steep rayino below
| our feet limo Of bouldera formed tho only
| shore.
Some of tho heights TINT stood around wore sur
mounted by rinnaces Of rcd, ragged lava, and
OF to the right, down in tho lake, there stood
up, noar tho WALL sharp spires Of tho 8amo
material. Or to the loft, on the southwest side,
rose IN island in tho lako, como Of lava nearly
1000 feet in height, overgrown with stunted
| lemlook, and with q BauCor-8hapod depression
III its summit 100 feet deep aud 500 feet across.
| on to the cant lava 1ow bridges tho lake for
several miles. They toll mo that the Island
which appears 80 noar is in reality throe miles
distant,. and the lakc stretches beyond it moro
than twice rs far away. Tho lnke Is oblong from
north to south, aud must at least DO twonty-1yo
miles in circumference. 1ts surface is probably
croAsos the summit. 1ta wators aro deep blue.
and its depth has never been determined, though
1t is enil to tave boon measured unayaifing1y TO
tho dopth OF 1850 feet, but cannot vouch for
surface, far below liz, it was frcokoa mud clouded
with tho reflections Of tho shy, and Oh a cloar
day tho walls arc reflected aud inverted on it
with lno OBJECT.
was anything for 1t to hung TO, mud tho gnlch by
which tho lato is reached i6 6lmpaBBablo,e o,ethat ii,
1t would hayo boon hazardous aud foolllarly to
hayo attempted tho doacont. Az VIC stood tioro
uu1Jt ~ NAh u H4ukuE tCGllC, WIiuL Wl1HL IL
hayo boon IL. January7 Thon tho lako must
hayo been solitlly frozen oyor to MI Immense
depth, and coyerol with snow perhaps so feet
doop beaileB. It IL, Of course, Impossible to de-
sce tho orator wn1l, oxcopt lite lii tho summer,
and in the autumn before the SHOWS como. The
tirno may be whom tho Oregon l. California Rail
road will oroaB tho mountains within 10 miles OF
tlon, aud enable tourists to visit this romantic
sceno. It Is q fayorlto sport to roll rocks over
the prccipiceB, and hear thom crash along tho
wall. Wo woro unable to indulge in this to nd
yantago, az tho SNOW covered the rocks and ell
oumberod tho cratorH rim, The residents OIL
Klamath NeBoryo mnde q boat IL year Or two ago,
and took tho piecos to tho brink and lot them
carefully down to the wator'H edgo. Hero it waH
put together, matlo as Hafe as possible, aud used