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12-2009 Historical Archaeology’s "Trip" to Crater Lake

Douglas C. Wilson Portland State University, [email protected]

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Citation Details Wilson, D. Historical Archaeology’s “Trip” to Crater Lake. NCRI Report, The Park's Northwest Cultural Resource Institute (NCRI) Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, December 2009.

This Article is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Historical Archaeology’s “Trip” to Crater Lake by Doug Wilson, NPS Archaeologist Photographs courtesy of NHS Vancouver of Fort courtesy Photographs

This Arborglyph on a felled tree near Dutton Camp reads: “John Kennet Caton, July 30th 1881.”

Crater Lake National Park, one of a park that epitomizes the natural years ago) that coated the slopes of the earliest parks in the National Park beauty of our American West, provide Crater Lake, the wheels of the wagons System, preserves the traces of an old a unique panorama of changing human cut deep ruts that make for a very clear wagon road that ran from Jacksonville perspectives on the park. For those trace in most places. These ruts wind in southern to Fort Klamath, who view these features, they encode north from the south entrance of the just south of the park. In September, abstract concepts of preservation and park through the thick ponderosa pine, Todd Miles, Jacqueline Cheung, the uses of wild and beautiful places crossing and recrossing State Highway Eric Gleason, and I had the honor to that resulted in the National Park 62, and ending in the hemlock and conduct an archaeological assessment Service. Shasta red fir forests on the western and re-examination of this 1865 road. First, what is a wagon road? A boundary of the park. The road crosses through the southern wagon road is much narrower than The archaeological survey of a part of Crater Lake National Park, a regular road. The four-foot wheel wagon road puts one into the shoes of roughly tracing State Highway 62 from base of a wagon (or early automobile) a traveler from a time remote from our the west entrance of the park to its makes for a much narrower footprint. own; when travel over short distances south entrance. We were also able to Wagon roads look different than those took hours, and stopping places near explore the 1869 Dutton Creek wagon dirt roads that many of us are familiar water and grass to feed the stock were route which spurs off the military with from family camping trips or of paramount importance. As we got wagon road up to the rim of Crater other excursions into forest and desert close to the highway, the whizzing Lake. These impressive and unique lands. In the soft pumice from the cultural resources, which reside within eruption of Mt. Mazama (ca. 7000 ...continued on page 4

NCRI Report 3 Crater Lake Wagon Roads ...continued from page 3 of cars past the old wagon road contrasted with our foot-bound mode of travel. It revealed perceptibly just how far (and how fast) we have come. And then there are the camps —camps where beautiful springs and creeks provide a steady source of water that feed steep glacier and stream- cut canyons. Camps called Soldier’s (Whitehorse Springs), Kanyon Spring (Anna Springs), Dutton, Oklahoma, and Cold Springs (Dead Wood) provided necessary resources to wagon-bound travelers. Historic, and Artifacts found along the road. Blazed tree. at times modern, blazes on the trees denote years of camping at these sites. too. Wagon roads follow ancient Caton who was born in Appleton City, Teamsters and soldiers used these sites, trails where people journeyed to Missouri, and is buried in Cottage and later scientists, mountain climbers, huckleberry, hunting and gathering Grove, then he was just 10 years old tourists, and even politicians. Today, grounds, or visited sacred places in the when he visited the area. Perhaps for these sites are abandoned—modern mountains. These camps served many that reason, the “N’s” in the glyph are visitors stop for short visits in picnic people. carved backwards. Another at the areas and camping grounds, but most Along the road there are vivid crest of the rim reads: “OKAFADE . never realize that their ancestors spent reminders of the past—parts of . ./JUNE 6 89“, which may be James time at these places, cooking on an wagons and early automobiles, O. Kafader, who was born in Jackson open camp fire, repairing vehicles, tin cans, and bottles. These things County in 1867 and became a miner in taking care of their stock. Their camp abandoned along the way provide a Fort Bidwell, California. Another tree might have been a day or more from human face, a tangible reminder of memorializes the visit by “Mr. + Mrs. Crater Lake, while we can easily travel those who made and used these roads. Wm Lemo/Aug. 18, 1897” punched there in an hour. In places, the silence of the forest into a tin sheet and nailed to a blazed The Klamath Indians and other and the fallen logs that cross the road tree. These glyphs provide a material tribal groups used these camps, create a sense of decay and loss that record of visitation to the lake at a rivals more dramatic “ruins” in other time when William Gladstone Steele places. and the Mazamas were publicizing its U.S. Department of the Interior The road to Crater Lake is importance for preservation. Crater fundamentally different from the old Lake became a National Park in 1902, military wagon road. The road is and shortly after that the modern

The Fort Vancouver National Site is a partnership harder to follow. It is much steeper. automobile road was built through of the National Park Service, the City of Its major distinction is the abundance Munson Valley in 1904. Vancouver, the State of Washington, and the U.S. of blazes and “glyphs” that cover The wagon road is preserved in Army. It includes Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver Barracks and Officers Row, old camping grounds. The people segments, some that follow modern Pearson Field and Air Museum, portions of the that crossed this trail wanted to hiking trails and some that are truly Columbia River waterfront, the Water Resources memorialize their trips. As early as abandoned. These simple traces of Education Center, and the McLoughlin House 1853, Crater Lake was distinguished as road tell the story, in physical form, of unit in Oregon City, Oregon. the “Mysterious Lake”. News editor how the preservation ethic came to be Fort Vancouver National Historic Site James Sutton and his group of tourists and the continuing history of visitor 612 East Reserve Street blazed the route to the rim, and coined use in National Parks. Vancouver, WA 98661 the term “Crater Lake”. The dates Phone on the arborglyphs (writing on trees) Many thanks go to Park Historian 360 816-6230 show increasing visits to Crater Lake Steve Mark who conceived and Website www.nps.gov/fova in the late 19th century. An arborglyph initiated the survey of the wagon on a felled tree near Dutton Camp road and has supported its The National Park Service cares for the reads: “John Kennet Caton, July interpretation, preservation, and special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. 30th 1881”. If it is the John Kenneth monitoring.

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