The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-06-04

country that contain miniature lakes; but there
is only one really great caldera of this kind In the
world-on1y immense basin apparently lol"eu
through the complete melting by intense neat u
the entire of great volcano, and the 1aine
in and utter disappearance through supterrai'ean
caverns of Its massive bulk.
The titanic convusion that formed this remark
able beauty-spot no human eye witnessed. Geolo-
gists have concluded that ages ago, In the great
chain Of volcanic mountain peaks which TO-DAY ex-
tends from Washington to Californa-among them
Mt. Rainier, Mt Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt Jenerson'
Three Sisters, Mt Mclaughlin. Mt. Shasta ana Las
sen Peak-there lowered one, which has been
called Mount Mazama that may have topped the
talest of its fellows. Judging from the pitch
of the remnants of its outer slopes scientists con-
clude with reasonable certainty that, II recon
structed its snow-clad peak would rise from
seven to eight thousand feet above Its broken
rim. Mazama stands today uncrowned king
shorn Of It's diadem of burning gold and gllttering
silver, yet holding within Its heart treasure the
rarest In the world-a beautiful Jake. the deepest
OF all lakes, with waters the bluest OF al piue
waters. And this is Crater lake.
Crater lake is almost circular, varying from five
to six miles in diameter. Its known depth Is 1000
feet and it is believed to be the deepest body OF
fresh water in the world. It's surface Is 6,l77
feet above the sea- 1t has no inlet outlet, being
fed by springs and winter SHOWS its water es-
capes by underground channels, reappearing as
springs in the Klamath region, few miles away.
1t is completely girdled by precipitous cliffs and
steep talus slopes that fall sharply downward
from its rim 1900 to 600 feet to the waters edge.
Closely encircllng 1t rise many high peaks, notably
LAO Rock The Waterman, and Cloud Cap; also
Glacier Garfield and Vidae Peaks.
Surrounded by canyons, ravnes and pinnacled
rocks, and beted by a wilderness of boulder
strewn forests. the region for years was inacces-
sible, and unexplored except by the more ven
turesome who attracted by stories of the
Indians of this mystery lake in its fantastic set
tinr Yet its discovery was accidental; it oc
Cured in 1853 while exploring party was
searching in the Cascade mountains for the fam
Gus Lost Cabin mine.
dispute arose over the choice of a name, the
party dividing between Mysterious lake and Deer
Blue lake. The advocates Of Deep Blue lake wor
the vote but In 1869 visiting party renamed II
Crater lake, and this by natural right became Its
title.
The first sight of Crater lake is well-nigh be
wildering Unless looked into from the rim It Il
invisible. Wonderment at the height and steep
ness of its encircling cliffs succeeds the first as
tonishment admiration of the loneliness of 1T
cooring next enthrals the behoder In the Sc
quenee of impressions. It's unique beauty lies II
no small measure in It's cooring, the brilllanc'
of which If reproduced in painting or print would
seem exaggerated and impossible to those WHIT
have not seen the reality. Nowhere else is Their
such an azure One feels that glass of its wa
ter would show blue II stained with cobalt, bu
it is clear as crystal and as pure. The deepe
parts are brilliant ultramarne, shading tt
turquoise in the shaower reaches. and to ligh
Jade green in the few indented coves around tn
shore hundred feet down the glaze OF plat
is planly dIscernibe. The surroundings help tn
brilliance of the blue; the rocks are of metalli
hues; the peaks of the rim often snow covered
the lava gray OF the steep SCARED walls is mottle
and splotched with bright yellows and reds mark
ings left by volcanic action long ago. and AWAY
there is the dark green of the pines and frs an
shrubs that grow on these declivities whcreve
they find root-hold The waters usually plac
Id, cleaning though glazed by the sun, and l
this mirror OF Nature the reflections stand GU
with astounding dstinctness.