The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-06-04

country that contain miniature lakes puL '"'''
is only one really great caIdera of this kind IN me
wOrld-only one immense basin apparently 'orhle'l
through the complete melting by intense heat o'
the entire core Of q great volcano, and the tai1lh"
In and utter disappearance through suOteFFahei"'
caverns Of its massive bulk.
The titanic CONFUSION that formed this remark
able beauty-spot no human eye Witnessed. Geoio-
gists have concluded that ages ago. in the great
chain Of volcanic mountain PEAKS which today eN-
tends from Washington 10 California-among them
Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson,
Three Sisters, Mt. Mclaughlin. Mt. Shasta and Las
sen Peak-there lowered one, which has been
called Mount Mazama. that may have topped the
tallest of its fellows. Judging from the pltch
Of the remnants of its outer slopes, scientists con
clude with reasonable certainty that, If recon
structed, its snow-clad peak would rise from
seven to eight thousand feet above it's broken
rim. Mazama stands today an uncrowned King,
shorn Of its diadem of burning gold and ~glittering
silver, yet holding within its heart a treasure the
rarest in the world--a beautiful lake, the deepest
Of all lakes, with waters the bluest of all blue
waters. And this Is Crater lake.
Crater lake is almost circular, varying from five
to six miles in diameter. It's known depth is 1000
feet and il is believed to be the deepest body Of
fresh water in the world. It's surface is GIT
feet above the sea. 1t has no inlet or outlet, being
fed by springs and winter SHOWS; its water eS-
capes by underground channels, reappearing as
springs in the Klamath region. a few miles away.
1t is completely girdled by precipitous cliffs and
steep talus slopes that fall sharply downward
from It's rim 1900 TO 600 feet to the waters edge.
Closely encircling it rise many high peaks, notably
LAO Rock. The Waterman, and Cloud Cap; also
Glacier, Garfield and Vidae Peaks.
Surrounded by canyons, ravines and pinnacled
rocks, and belted by a wilderness Of boulder
strewn forests, the region for years was inacces-
sible, and UNEMPLOYED except by the more ven
uhn uoro attracted nv GtnriQC of thp
Indians Of this mystery lake in its fantastic set
ting. Yet It's discovery was accidental; IL Oc-
Cured in 1853 while an exploring party was
searching I'm the Cascade mountains for the fam
Gus Lost Cabin mine.
A dispute arose over the choice Of a name, rhe
party dividing between Mysterious lake and Deep
Blue lake. The advocates Of Deep Blue lake won
the vote, but In 1859 a visiting party renamed II
Crater lake, and this by natural right became in
title.
The first sight Of Crater lake is weIl-nigb ~
wildering. Unless looked into from tbs rim it is
invisible. Wonderment at the height and steep.
ness Of its encircling cliffs succeeds the first as
tonishment; admiration OF the loveliness Of its
coloring next enthralls the beholder in the Sc
quence of impressions. It's unique beauty lies i'm
no small measure In its coloring. the brilliance
of which IL reproduced in painting or print would
seem exaggerated and impossible 70 those who
have not seen the reality. Nowhere else is there
such an azure. One feels that n glass Of its wa
ter would show blue as If stained with cobalt, but
It is clear rs crystal and as pure. The deeper
parts are a brilliant ultramarine, shading to
turquoise In the shallower reaches. and to light
Jade green In the few indented coves around the
shore. A hundred feet down the glaze Of a plate
Is plainly discernible. The surroundings help the
brtlliance Of the blue; the rocks are Of metallic
hues the peaks OF the rim gre often snow covered;
the lava gray Of the steep SCARED walls Is notified
and splotched with bright yellows and reds, mark
ings left by volcanic action long ago, and always
there Is the dark green Of the pines and frs and
shrubs that grow on these declivities wherever
they find roothold. The waters are usually plac-
ID, cleaning as though glazed by the sun. and In
this mirror Of Nature the reflections stand out
with astounding distinctness.