Crater Lake is a majestic body of water that sits in a caldera (volcanic crater) in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. It is the deepest lake in the United States and seventh deepest in the world with an average depth of roughly 1,958 feet. Its brilliant blue water, expansive cliffs and amazing scenery make Crater Lake a very popular tourist attraction. Crater Lake is also an amazing natural formation that has an interesting history going back more than 7,000 years.
There was once a volcano called Mount Mazama where Crater Lake is today. Mount Mazama took roughly 500,000 years to reach its estimated peak height of 12,000 feet. Around 7,700 years ago the volcano suffered a massive collapse after a particularly explosive eruption. The collapse caused a large depression to form. That depression is now home to Crater Lake.
Volcanic activity continued in the caldera following the collapse. One of the most notable formations that were caused by this post collapse activity is Wizard Island. Wizard Island is in fact a cinder cone volcano that is thought to have been formed before the caldera filled with water. There are other similar formations that are hidden beneath the surface of the lake.
Crater Lake is not connected to any other sources of water. The caldera was only able to fill with water because of the heavy snowfall in the area. The lake is the product of years of melted snow. Because Crater Lake is cut off from other water supplies there are no naturally occurring fish in the lake. However, in 1888 people began stocking the lake with various types of trout and salmon.
Crater Lake was not officially discovered until 1853. However, there is evidence that the native American Klamath tribe was aware of the area as far back as the collapse of the volcano. The tribe has passed down legends of the collapse of the volcano for thousands of years. They appear to have been aware of the lake as well before settlers came across it in 1853.
The first settlers to come across Crater Lake were a group of men that were prospecting for gold in the area. One of the men suggested naming the lake “Deep Blue Lake,” but the name never stuck. A second group came across the lake nearly ten years later. They were also prospecting for gold. One of these men suggested calling it “Blue Lake,” but once again the name did not stick. Three years later a group of U.S. Army soldiers came across the lake. The name suggested this time was “Lake Majesty.” The name persisted until 1869.
In 1869 a newspaper editor visited Crater Lake and even went to Wizard Island by boat. When he wrote the story of his adventure, he called the lake “Crater Lake” after the crater that sits atop Wizard Island. This time the name stuck.
In 1902, president Theodore Roosevelt officially named Crater Lake a National Park. Soon after, a beautiful, but poorly constructed lodge was built at the site and opened in 1915.The National Park Service began renovation on the lodge in 1991. The project cost more than $15,000,000 to complete. Today the lodge is functioning well through the harsh winter months. Now visitors to Crater Lake are able to lodge at the site, take a scenic drive, fish and swim.
