The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-05-29

country that contain miniature lakes; but there
is only one really great caldera of this kind In the
world-only one immense basin apparently forhed
through the complete melting by intense neat ol
the entire of a great Volcano and the Ialilhs
in and utter disappearance through subterraneah
caverns of its massive bulk.
The titanic CONFUSION that formed this remark
able beauty-spOt no human eye witnessed. GeoO-
gists have concluded that ages ago. in the great
chain of volcanic mountain peaks which today eX-
tends from Washington to 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 Mazapa, that may have topped the
tallest of its fellows. Judging from the pitch
of the remnants of its outer slopes scientists con-
clude with reasonable certainty that, if recons
structed it's snow-cad peak would rise from
seven to eight thousand feet above its broken
rim. Mazaua stands today an uncrOwned king
shorn of its diade of burning gold and glitterlng
silver yet holding within it's hearts, 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 Its known depth is ZOO
feet and it is believed to be the deepest body of
fresh water in the world Its surface is 6,171
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, few miles away.
1t is completely grdled by precipitous cliffs and
steep talus slopes that fall sharply downward
from its rim 1000 to 600 feet to the waters edge.
Closely encirclng it rise many high peaks notably
LAO Rock, The Waterman, and Cloud Cap; also
Glacier, Garfield and Vidae Peaks.
Surrounded by canyons. ravines and ninnaced
rocks, and belted by a wilderness of boulder
strewn forests, the region for years was inacces-
sible and unexplOred except by the mpre ven
turesome who were attracted by stories of the
Indians of this mystery lake in its fantastic set
ting. Yet It's discovery was accidental; 1t oc-
Cured in 1853 while an exploring party was
searching in the Cascade mountains for the fam
Gus Lost Cabin mine.
A dispute arose over the choice of a name, the
party dividing between Mysterious lake and Deep
Blue lake The advocates of Deep Blue lake won
the vote. but In 1869 visiting party renamed 1t
Crater lake. and this by natural right became its
title
The first sight of Crater lake is wellnieh be-
wildering Unless looked into from the rim 1t is
invisible. Wonderment at the height and steep
of its encircling cliffs succeeds the first as
constituent; admiration Of the loneliness of its
coloring next enthralIs the beholder in the Sc
quence of Impressions. It's unique beauty lies in
no small measure in its colorlng the briance
of which If reproduced in painting or print weuld
seem exaggerated and impossible to thost who
have not seen the reality. Nowhere else is there
such an azure. One feels that glass of i's wa
ter would show blue as if stained with cobalt, but
it is clear crystal and as pure. The @eepeI
parts a brilliant ultramarine, shadii E TO
turquoise in the shallower reaches andfo lighi
Jade green in the few indented eoves around the
shore. A hundred feet down the glaze of plate
is plainly discernibe. The surroundings help the
brilliance of the blue; the rocks are of metallic
hues; the peaks of the rim are often snow covered
the lava gray of the steep SCARED walls is mtlec
and splotched with bright yelows and reds, marx
ings left by volcanic action long ago, and always
there is the dark green of the pines and tirs anC
shrubs that grow on these declivities wheFevel
they find root-hoId. The waters are usually pac
Id, cleaning as though glazed by the sun, ard II
this mirror of Nature the reflections stand ou
with astounding dstinctness.