Crater Lake National Park Administrative History

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

During the early years of National Park Service administration, maintenance activities at Crater Lake National Park were performed by seasonal crews under the direct supervision of the park superintendent. Many of the laborers were young men who worked in the park during their summer school vacations. Local sawmills provided stiff competition, however, by paying higher wages. Thus it was often difficult for Superintendent Sparrow to find plentiful labor. Nevertheless he reported in 1922 that he hired "a crew of from 30 to 40 men" for "general maintenance and construction work" between July 1 and September 30. During the summer of 1923 about 50 men were employed for similar purposes. [1]

A report prepared by Sparrow in August 1920 provides a glimpse into the nature and extent of maintenance activities in the park during the early years. Some 49 miles of park roads were repaired and regraded during fiscal year 1920 at a cost of $4,862.97 or $99.24 per mile. The cost of administration for the road maintenance was $190.37 or 3.91 percent of the total. The roads to Crater Lake Lodge were cleared of snow by June 26, and the Rim Road around the lake was cleared of snow on August 2, the latter being accomplished with "a liberal use of T.N.T. to remove deep drifts." The snow removal efforts were aided by personnel of the park concessionaire.

Twenty-three miles of trail were cleared and repaired, the most costly being the 1.2-mile stretch from the rim to the boat landing where many slides occurred every spring. The trails were maintained and repaired at a cost of $694.48 or $30.20 per mile. The cost of administration of the trail work was $11.12 or 1.6 percent of the total. The trails maintained were Watchman, Garfield, Wizard Island, Rim to Lake, Copeland Creek, Dewie, Anna Spring to Rim, and Union Peak.

Building maintenance during fiscal year 1920 was carried out at a cost of $719.62. The superintendent's residence at Anna Spring and the ranger's cottage at the south entrance were repaired and painted. The log rangers' cabins at the east and west entrances were varnished, and the roofs of all buildings, including those at Government Camp, were painted.

Fifty-four miles of telephone line, thirty-four of which was of temporary construction, was repaired and kept in operation during the working season. Eight miles were maintained all year. Total cost of telephone line maintenance was $373.87 or $6.92 per mile.

Seven free campgrounds were maintained at a cost of $383. The campgrounds were located at the Rim, Anna Spring, Cold Spring, White Horse, Lost Creek, Wheeler Creek, and Munson's Meadow. [2]

In his annual report for 1922 Sparrow devoted considerable attention to maintenance operations in the park. His discussion included sections on roads, trails, telephone system, buildings, and miscellaneous maintenance and improvements:

Roads

Clearing the roads of snow in the spring, replacing wood culverts with galvanized iron, repairing bridges, and constant regrading and graveling of the more badly worn sections of the 57 miles comprising the park road system, requires a crew of 30 men and 12 to 16 horses throughout the season, besides motor trucks and other equipment. But even with the expenditure that this entails there are some stretches of road that are so dusty and rutted, owing to the ash-like texture of the soil, that it is a hardship to ride over them.

Trails

There are 34 miles of trails in the park system, made up of 11 short units of which the shortest is three-quarters and the longest 8 miles in length. About two-thirds of the funds allotted for trail maintenance are expended on the trail from Crater Lake Lodge to the boat landing on the lake, 1-1/4 miles, but at least four-fifths of the travel by trail is over this section. . . .

Telephone System

All of the 48 miles of telephone line comprising the park system was practically rebuilt this season and gives a better service than ever before.

Buildings

A new floor was laid in the sleeping quarters for crew at Government Camp; the roofs of the mess hall, office, and shelter cabin painted; and new joists and ceiling put in the shelter cabin. A temporary protection to portable oil tank was erected at Government Camp. Tanks and tank houses were erected at Devils Backbone and Wineglass for supplying water to maintenance crews and automobiles making the rim drive. The fence around Government buildings at Anna Spring was rebuilt, and a new cesspool dug at that place to take care of sewage from the ranger's house. Eight dry toilets on public camp grounds were moved and new vaults dug. The location of wash and bath house for crew at Government Camp was changed, the old building torn down and rebuilt on the new site, and the entire water system at Government Camp amplified and improved.

Miscellaneous Improvements

A gasoline pump and 500-gallon tank were installed at Government Camp, the oil shed moved and improved, and several dying trees removed from the grounds as a protection to buildings. [3]

Various Park Service reports during the early 1920s indicate that park maintenance efforts consisted primarily of varied improvement projects. In 1923, for instance, Superintendent Thomson reported that "a large amount of miscellaneous work was accomplished." The list of varied projects included:

Disused corral fences were taken down; all living areas thoroughly policed; equipment gone over and renovated; accumulations of manure and trash disposed of; new cesspools made; rub logs placed at certain critical points; additional latrines put up at three entrances and two camp grounds; sanitary drinking fountains installed at Anna Spring and at the west entrance. By felling 4 large and 11 small trees a lovely canyon was opened on the main road. The public camp grounds were so popular that it was necessary to extend them; two men maintained them immaculately throughout the season.

In addition all permanent buildings at Anna Spring were painted "tobacco brown with dark green roofs," and several dilapidated structures were razed and the material salvaged. [4]

The following year Superintendent Thomson reported that "major effort has been directed toward road maintenance, but a considerable amount of miscellaneous work has also been accomplished." This work included

the roofing with shakes of the west and east entrance cabins and the Anna Spring bunk house; reconstruction in whole or in part of four bridges; construction of two new latrines near the boat landing; construction of a new powder house; erection of an appropriate log boundary arch; shingling of tank house; installation of small generating sets at Government Camp and the Rim; improvement of water-heating devices at the Rim comfort station; painting or staining of several structures; erection of new park signs; repair of buildings; and a general overhauling of trucks, pumping, and miscellaneous equipment. [5]

In 1925 Superintendent Thomson observed that "as usual, endeavor necessarily was concentrated upon road maintenance, sanitation, and all those other problems incidental to the safety and comfort of tens of thousands of visitors." Beyond that "a considerable miscellany of alteration and repair was accomplished," including

new shake roof on two buildings, alteration and painting of superintendent's residence, new floors and windows in the information office, remodeling of kitchen at Government camp bunkhouse, installation of generating plant and wiring of Anna Spring buildings, construction of a fine massive log arch at south entrance, some general painting and staining, and a general clean up of functional areas. Much of our alteration was accomplished with material salvaged from condemned structures.

More than twenty percent of the park road funds were devoted to snow removal, and heavy spring slides necessitated an unusual amount of work on the trail to the lake, practically exhausting the entire park's trail allotment. [6]

Snow removal, especially during years of heavy snowfall, was a major undertaking of park maintenance crews. For instance, the winter of 1926-27 witnessed a total snowfall of more than 51 feet, the snow being heavily compacted by spring thaws. This amount of snow was difficult to remove, since there was no mechanical snow removal equipment available. To permit visitors to enter the park it was necessary to clear more than fifteen miles of heavy snow by using explosives and shovels. This gargantuan feat was finally completed on July 2, thus causing the park's 1927 summer season to commence five weeks later than the year before. [7]

By 1929 park maintenance operations had been assigned to various departments, including engineering, landscape, sanitation, electrical, and mechanical. This division of responsibilities for maintenance would continue into the 1940s. The engineering department was in charge of Engineer Ward P. Webber who was connected with the field headquarters office in San Francisco and loaned to the park during the travel season. The division had charge of road and trail maintenance and improvements, snow removal, and building upkeep. Concerning these responsibilities and related problems, Superintendent Solinsky observed:

Road maintenance--Due to the lack of proper equipment, maintenance work was held to a minimum, with the result that all of our roads, with the exception of about 22 miles of pavement, were in very poor condition. The soil in this vicinity is principally a dry pumice ash and makes an extremely poor roadbed, with the result that our roads become very dusty and rough and are very disagreeable to travel over. This is particularly true of the Rim Road.

Snow removal--There is no mechanical snow removal equipment in this park, and it becomes necessary each spring to expend considerable sums for labor to clear our roads of snow in time for the opening date. The roads of the park were opened this season on the following dates: Klamath-Medford Loop, June 12; Anna Spring to Rim, June 22; east entrance, June 24; north entrance, July 6; Rim Road, July 13.

Road improvement--The east entrance road from its connection with the Dalles-California Highway to the park entrance, a distance of approximately 5 miles, was reconstructed and surfaced with crushed rock. This road was also improved in a like manner for a distance of 1.9 miles within the park boundary.

The pavement on the Government camp Rim Road had to be torn up, reprocessed, and relaid. This was due to improper mixing last fall during the cold weather. A crew of three men were employed during August in repairing and patching holes in the paved park roads.

As to building maintenance Solinsky noted that the interiors of the new employees' residences at Government Camp were painted.

In 1929 the sum of $1,500 was allotted to the park for roadside cleanup and landscape improvement. The work was confined to one mile along the Anna Spring-Government Camp road. Debris and trash, resulting from road and trail construction, were cleaned up in the rim area, and planting was done to eliminate the dust.

The sanitary department was handled by a crew of four men with the use of a light truck. The campgrounds were kept clean, and garbage and refuse from the camps and concessioner facilities were disposed of on a daily basis.

The park electrical department kept the telephone system in repair, and the mechanical department under the direction of a master mechanic (with the aid of several seasonals) had charge of the overhaul and repair of park vehicles and equipment. While the vehicles and equipment had been overhauled during the fall and winter, the park vehicles were a continuing source of trouble and expense. With the exception of two trucks, all of the park vehicles "came from war surplus stock" and had "long since outlived their usefulness." [8]

Road maintenance and snow removal operations in the park were facilitated by the acquisition of new equipment in 1930. According to Superintendent Solinsky marked improvement was made in the condition of Rim Road and the north and east entrance roads with the "new road equipment and funds that allowed extensive work in grading and smoothing up the road surfaces." Because of the heavy increase in travel, considerable maintenance was necessary on the oiled roads. Several sections, ranging in length from 1/2 to 1-1/2 miles, had to be torn up, reprocessed, and relaid. The type of pavement used on these roads was such, according to Solinsky, that "with the increasing use each year the annual maintenance costs will increase until such time as a more permanent pavement can be laid."

In 1930 snow removal from roads was aided by the acquisition of a new "mechanical snow remover"--a Bates 80 tractor with rotary snow plow and Hall backfiller attached. With its use the road to the rim from both the south and west entrances was open to traffic on May 24, the earliest opening date in the history of the park. The north entrance and Rim roads were open to travel on June 26, the earliest that either road had been opened.

Solinsky noted that considerable expense was necessary in opening and clearing the slides from the Crater Wall Trail. The trail was "so located with the number of switchbacks on the loose sliding sides of the crater wall that it necessitates handling of the slide material several times before it can be disposed of." This in turn made the "annual maintenance costs exceedingly high and out of proportion to its original cost."

Roadside cleanup continued to be a major concern of park maintenance in 1930. Using an allotment of $4,000 some five miles were cleared of debris and trash. [9]

In May 1931 Superintendent Solinsky reported on the park snow removal operations to NPS Director Horace Albright. He observed that the park's snow plan

has proven the theory that it is much easier and more economical to remove the snow while it is still soft or following each of the winter storms rather than to wait until spring when the snow becomes packed and almost solid ice.

Snow plow operations had started on November 15, and two operators were employed at a salary of $100 per month each plus board.

Solinsky went on to describe the advantages of snow removal operations and its impact on park operations and visitation. Among other things he noted:

Another fact to be considered is that we are able to set a definite date for the opening of our park roads with assurance that the park will be opened on the date set. Last fall we set April 1 as the date on which we would open the park and permit visitors to travel to the Rim. On March 31 I drove from Medford through the West Entrance to the Rim without the use of chains on my car. Visitors entered the park from both the South and West Entrances and drove to the Rim on April 1 and the roads have been maintained and kept in good travelable condition ever since. We have received many congratulatory expressions from all who have visited the lake during the past month and I am sure that the early opening of the park has met with much favorable enthusiasm from everyone.

Notwithstanding the fact that April proved a rather stormy month and provided very few good days for travel, over 6,000 people in about 2,000 cars visited Carter Lake during the month. We registered cars from twenty-four states and two Canadian provinces. I feel that it is well worthwhile to open the park early for the reason that we have many eastern visitors traveling up and down the Pacific Coast during April and May who have never had the opportunity of visiting Crater Lake while passing through this locality. I believe it quite important that these people, particularly the easterners, be given the opportunity of visiting the park and think the advertising we receive through this contact is well worthwhile.

I am quite sure that you will agree that we have received a lot of very favorable publicity throughout the important papers on this coast in connection with the early opening of Crater Lake. We have taken a number of pictures and have broadcast them through the press and we have also taken a number of reels of moving picture film which show the Snogo plow in operation and some splendid winter scenes about the park including a reel or two taken from a boat on Crater Lake early in March on a day when the reflections were perfect. We plan to use these reels in our lectures during the coming season and I am sure they will prove most interesting to the visitors. [10]

Itemized report of weather conditions and cost of snow plow operation for Crater Lake winter 1930-31:

Month	Stormy days	Total snowfall	Greatest depth	Days snow plow operated	Miles plowed	Gals.	Cost: @ $.185	Gals.	Cost: @$.355	Labor:	Repair parts	Grand Total
Nov.	5	54"	39"	10	173.9	906	$167.61	15	$5.33	$154.56		$327.50
Dec.	9	40"	38"	8	120.2	530	98.05	7	2.49	276.00	$22.40	398.94
Jan.	11	53"	60"	18	235.6	1404	259.74	25	8.87	276.00		544.61
Feb.	7	44"	73"	7	93.8	530	98.05	10	3.55	264.96	49.00	415.56
Mar.	15	59"	84"	19	255.6	1638	303.03	25	8.87	276.00		587.90
Apr.	7	21"	78"	8	119.4	714	132.09	15	5.32	44.16	10.00	417.89
	54	271"		70	909.5	5722	$1058.57	97	$34.43	$1518.00	$81.40	$2692.40

Snow plow operations stated November 15th.

Operators paid at rate of $100.00 per month and board.

Snow measurements shown taken at Government Camp. Approximately 50% more snow removed from road than precipitation shows on account of drifting in road cut.

Average depth at Rim April 1 - 10 feet, drifts up to 17 feet deep between Government Camp and Rim were kept open.

The winter of 1931-32 taxed the park's snow removal capabilities to the limit. All known records of snowfall in the park were broken as 65 feet of snow fell at Government Camp and between 85-90 feet fell at the rim. Despite the heavy snowfall the park was able to keep "the upper sections of the park roads, from the Rim to points below Annie Springs towards both the west and south entrances, open all winter" with one rotary snow plow. It required two crews of two men each working almost constantly during the months of December and January to remove the snow from the upper park roads During those months the plow was operated continuously for 117 eight-hour shifts, an average of approximately sixteen hours per day. The south entrance road was open to the public on April 10, and the west entrance road on May 5. The delay in opening the west entrance road was caused by the refusal of the State Highway Commission to open its section of the highway from Union Creek to the west park boundary, and "considerable persuasion" by the Medford Chamber of Commerce and local residents was necessary to get the commission to take action. Heavy snow drifts delayed the opening of Rim Road until July 26.

Road and trail maintenance continued to pose problems for park management in 1932. Lack of funds for proper road maintenance resulted, according to Superintendent Solinsky, in "rather unfavorable comments from park visitors, due to the rough and cut-up condition of these highways." As all of the park highways were of "the light oil mixed type," they required "constant attention under heavy traffic to keep them in travelable condition." According to Solinsky, "a vast amount of work" was required if these highways were "to be maintained in as good condition as the state highways leading to our park entrances. " Of primary importance in this work was the necessity for widening the shoulders to support the pavement, resloping of the cut banks, and rounding of the slopes.

Because of the heavy snows during the winter the Crater Wall Trail was not opened until July 1. After the snow banks had melted, slides continued to fall on the trail, in some places almost obliterating it. The cost of maintaining the trail was extremely heavy with large cracks appearing in its path after the snow melted, thus leading to concern that sections of it could be lost.

In 1932 roadside cleanup was carried out along the south entrance road from Annie Spring to the south park boundary. This completed all the roadside cleanup work along the completed park highways with the exception of approximately two miles on the west entrance road." [11]

By 1934 road maintenance had become a critical problem for park operations. Lack of adequate maintenance of hard surface roads, coupled with the heavy visitation of the previous several years, had caused the roads to become potentially dangerous. During the year funds became available to purchase a road patching machine and commence repairs "which consisted mainly of patching the more dangerous chuck holes that had developed in profusion." [12]