The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1902-11-05
WONDERFUL
CRATER LAKE
Interesting Paper on Oregon's
Greatest Natural
Curiosity.

Professional paper, United States Geo
logical Survey No. 10, illustrated, now
IN press. ny Messrs. J. =. Diller and II
Il. Patton, consist of two papers: Part
!, by Mr.. DiIlcr, treats primarily oi
geology, the development Of the grea,
volcano, Mount Mazama, and its col.
lapse, which gav. birth to Crater Lake
Part 2. deals with the pctroyraphy and
gives n special description Of the
various rocks occurring IN the park.
Twenty years ago, says Mr.. Dillcr in
his Introduction. Crater Lake was un.
know 10 the general public. II IN deeply
set IN the summit of the Cascade range -,
about G5 miles north Of the California
line, in the central western edge of
klamath county, Oregon, IL miles u
little west of north Of Fort Klamath, 10
miles due west Of the upper end Of the
klamath Indian reservation, about ~
miles n little east of north of Fort Scott,
and u like distance due south oi Mount
Thiels0n. The remnant of the great
mountain enclosing the lake was named
Mount Mnzama in 1896 and the Crater
Lake National Park, containing 2i1
square miles, was established by Con-
gress In May, 1902.
Tho geological record Of this country
from tho earliest cpOchs u the present
time In replete with volca mic phenon-
ena. hut the climax appcsrs To have
lhcn reached in the earlier portion Of
the N""ccnc period, when one of the lar.
geat known volcanic fields of the world
WAS vigorously active in our northwest.
ern states. This area Of volcanic aciiv- |
ity stretched from the Rocky mountains
to th. Pacific, embracinga large part Of
Wyoming. Montana, Idaho, Washing.
ton, Oregon, and California. Tho west.
ern limit oi the great volcanic field is
likewise the western border oi the Cas-
cads range. The wrecking al Mount
Maxana and the development oi the
great pit oi cal,irrs, which for beauty
and grandeur rivals anything Of its kind
IN the world, WAS the crow ming event in
the volcanic history oi the Cascade
range.
TIL, rini ,ncircling Crater lake ap.
pears, seen from distance, as n broad
cluster oi gently sloping peaks. To one
arriving by the road at the crest oi the
rim, the lake, IN all its majestic beauty,
spprars suddenly upon the scene and is
profoundly impressive. The eye be.
holds ~ miles of unbroken cliffs, the
Of Mount Maxama, ranging
rem over $40 Ia nearly 200 feet in
h"'sht, cncirling u deep, blue sheet Of
placid water, in which the mirrored
wallis vie with the original slopes in
'r'lliancy and greatly enhance the depth ,
II the prospect. The lake is about ~, ,
miles wide and ~. miles long, with an
area oi nearly @', square miles.
There can In no reasonable doubt as A
}" the former existence Of Mount !
Nshama. but its shape and size are
more difficult Ia determine. Mount A.,
h'sama Is composed largely Of layas, ,
inii,ar Ia those oi Mount Shasta, and I
rom the slopes Of ,ha, famous peak We
nay draw an inference as To those of =,
i,uut Mazama. Mount Shasta, unlike a
iount Mazama, does not stand ON AN i
levatsd platform. II rises with :
ni.s,c sweep oi II 900 feet from gentle =
Iopcs about its base, gradually growing a
l""p.r upward To the bold peak. At .
h. height Of 5000 fce, i, has about the !,
,mc diameter as Mount Mazama at All /"
iucl elevation in the rim of Crater I