Park History
On 22 May 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill making Crater Lake the Nation's sixth national park. The United States Department of Interior was charges with developing road access and visitor services for the park. This was a difficult job because of the park's remote location at the summit of the Cascade Mountains. By 1905, a "steep and tortuous" road leading to the crater rim was completed. This access road was essential for the development of the Rim Village area.
In 1905, William Gladstone Steel brought professional photographer Frederick H. Kiser to Crater Lake. Many of the early photographs of the park are Kiser's work. In 1907, Steel established the Crater Lake Company to run "Camp Crater" which provided park visitors with basic services.
Crater Lake Lodge was the first major building constructed in the area that is now Rim Village. It was begun in 1909 by the Crater Lake Company. The lodge was located close to the edge of the rim to ensure visitors had a spectacular view of the lake and the surrounding caldera. Because of the remote location and short construction season, the lodge was not finished until 1915.
The National Park Service was established in 1916. This was an important step toward creating long-term development plans for National Parks like Crater Lake. In addition to establishing the National Park Service, the United States Congress began appropriating funds for various park projects. However, the United States' entry into World War I slowed development of the park's infrastructure.
After the war, the Army Corps of Engineers built several hiking trails radiating out from the lodge area. This allowed park visitors to make day-trip to Watchman Peak on the west rim and Garfield Peak on the south rim, and return to the lodge by evening. In 1921, Fred Kiser was given permission to construct a stone building near the edge of the rim where he could sell his hand colored photographs of Crater Lake. By 1924, a number of amenities were available in the "Village" area. These included the lodge, a public campground, Kiser's studio, a park community center for special programs, and public comfort stations.
Read more about this topic: Rim Village Historic District
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