CRATER LAKE, OREGON 37 



and rapids of that turbulent stream and of tlie liigli falls, where 

 it receives its affluents. Striking features along both roads, within 

 20 miles of the lake, are the plains developed upon a great mass 

 of detritus filling the valleys. Across these ))lains Anna creek 

 and Rogue river have carved deep, narrow canj'ons with finely 

 sculptured walls, which the roads follow for some distance. 



Approaching the lake from any side, the observer sees a 1)road 

 cluster of gentle })eaks rising al)out a thousand feet above the 

 general crest of the range on wbii;h tliey stand, i)ut not until 

 after he has left the main road, three miles from tlie lake, does lie 

 l)egin to feel the steepness of the ascent. The way winds over a 

 large moraine littered with lava boulders and well studded with 

 firs. Arriving at the crest, the lake in all its majestic beauty 

 comes suddenly upon the scene, and is profoundly im[)ressive. 

 Descending the wooded slope a short distance within the rim to 

 Victor rock, an excellent general view of the lake is obtained. The 

 eye beholds 20 miles of unbroken cliffs ranging from over 500 to 

 nearly 2,000 feet in height, encircling a dee[) blue sheet of placid 

 water, in which the mirrored walls vie with the originals in bril- 

 liancy and greatly enhance the depth of the prospect. 



The first point to fix our fascinated gaze is ^^'izard island, lying 

 nearly two miles awa}', near the western margin of the lake. Its 

 rugged western edge and the steej) but symmetrical truncated 

 cone in the eastern portion are very suggestive of volcanic origin. 

 We cannot, however, indulge our first impulse to go to the island, 

 for the various features of the rim are of greater importance in 

 unraveling the earlier stages of its geological history. 



The outer and inner slopes of the rim are in strong contrast ; 

 wiiilo the one is gentle, ranging in general from 10° to lo*^. the 

 other is al)rupt and full of cliffs. The outer slope at all points 

 is away from the lake, and as the rim rises at least 1,000 feet :ii)()ve 

 the general summit of the range, it is evidently the basal portion 

 of a great hollow cone in which the lake is contained. 



The map of Crater lake, prepared from the U. S. Geological 

 Survey special sheet, fully illustrates this feature, and also in part 

 another feature, namely, the occurrence ofa number of small cones 

 upon tiie outer slope of the great cone. These, adnate cones are of 

 peculiar significance when we come to consider the volcanic rocks 

 of wiiich the region is composed. The rim is ribbed by ridges 

 and spurs radiating from the lake, and the head of each spur is 

 marked by a i)rominence on the crest of tlie rim. The variation 

 in the altitute of the rim crest is 1,469 feet (from 0,759 to 8.228) 



