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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1963)
Mystery Aflist Impressed Early Day Visitors To Lake KLAMATH FALLS, ORKflON, SUNDAY. MAY 12. l!Hi3 Upper Klamath Lake uss WMOTT?t, ....V" . ,m : life ;'. : ' J By DICK BRIGGS - In the early morning during winter, and occasionally in sum mer, a light mist ascends slowly upwards from the surface of Lake Ouse, a saucer-shaped basin 140 miles In circumference, located npar the heart of Klamath County. For several hours on certain days the light, thin fog hovers above the lake as a veil of steam, stimulating the Imagination of those who Infrequently glimpse Jh rough It to see forests shimmer ing on the other side of its wa ters. The mysterious mist that shrouds the lake and part of the land Impressed the first civilized men who ventured into Klamath County. They are believed to have been French trappers from the Hudson's Bay Company who sought pelts of beaver and otter and' knew those waters by the name given to them by local In dians Lake Ouse. - Upon their leaving, they took with them an impression of the land of the veil-like mist, an im pression which they expressed as ciaire-mote a word many histor ians believe Is the derivative of the name of this county and the lake which bears its name Klam ath, "the land of the light fog." Very probably, it was the trap pers who gave the land its name. The mist was characteristic of the area when It was first visit ed by while men, as It was, later, when the pathfinders led pioneers west by wagon train, So it Is today. So It may have been, loo, thous ands pf years before the coming of the white man when the bed ot Upper Klamath Lake was Ft Klamath Odessa .CajnafnMoJoc Pt oma. Klamath Falls more in the form of a bowl and lis waters touched the shore 90 feet above its present level. In those times when prehistor Ic animals roamed the land. Klamath Lake was part of a great Inland sea which would alternate ly fill and drain, as though its outlet wpuld become first free and then clogged, due, perhaps, to vol canic disturbances. Such activity may have cut away the rim of the lake at Its southeast corner, creating a trench that drained the great In land sea and became the bed of a new river, now known by the name of the county where It Is located and the lake which pro vides Its source Klamath. The drainage from the vast sea that had earlier flowed to the Pa cific Ocean through the Pit River then found Its way to the ocean through the channel which formed the Klamath River. The volcanic disturbance that spawned this waterway may have occurred about 6400 B.C., when Alt. Mazama erupted, spewing magma and fire throughout the Klamath Basin. The eruption loos ened the peak of the lZ.OOO-fnpt mountain and soon after 17 cubic miles of its lofty summit collapsed Into the bowels of the mountain which now forms the bed of Crater Lake, The enchantment of the "land of the light fog' does not come when Us veil-like mist blankets the land, but as it dissipates from the rayi of a late morning sun. exposing the grandeur of timber lands and the Cascade Mountain Range which enfolds It. Neither Is the mystery of Klam ath only that of the fog, but also of other natural phenomenon. IV springs flow underground In some parts of Klamath Falls and elsewhere In the county, provid ing some homeowner! with free hot water, steam heat, and an automatic snow removal system In winter. t'pper Klamath, the largest body of water In Oregon, ranks 20th In size among lakes of the United States and Is the site pf one of the few natural nesting places of pelicans. T 1 Within (he county arc two wa terways which rank first among those in their respective categor ies. Link River, which connects Klamalh Lake on the north with Lake Ewauna one mile to the south, is the shortest river In the United States. Sixty miles to the north is Crater Lake, which at a depth of 1,9.13 feel Is the deepest hpdy of fresh water In the U.S. These phenomena, and manv others, are the subjects of this article and three others to follow. They have been written not with the intent of providing a complete history of the area, but merely to comment fm certain points of interest along the countryside to arid to the enjoyment of tourists as they motor through the more Interesting parts of the "land of the light fog." The first of four tnurs through Klamath County takes the motor ist along the circumference of Klamath Lake about 140 miles (four hours easy driving time) past such historical sites as Denny Creek, where path finders in Capt. John C. Fremont's exploration party of 1846 were slain by Klamalh Indians, and Fort Klamath I marked by a stone monument), an obliterated U.S. Army Fort where Captain Jack, a .Modoc Indian chieftain. was hanged in 1B72 marking the end of the U.S.-Modoc Indian War. The sojourn starts at the Link River Bridge near Conger and Main Street in Klamath Falls, which was for centuries the point where Indians forded Link River during their travels north and south. ANCIKNT CROSSING Klamath Indians generally by passed the narrow straits to cross the river at a wider point farther south. To the early Klamaths, the huge boulders near the site. now spanned by the Link River Bridge, represented footprints of the gods, and the Indians chose not to risk the wrath of their deities by crossing there. The straits was one of the nar rowest poinU along a 100-mile .stretch of water from Agency mm LILY PADS SHELTER WATERS IN WOCUS BAY One of tha mors scenic areas along the 140-mile rim of Klamath Lake is Wocut Bay, sit of one of several public boat launching sites on the lake and a popular fishing spot of anglers. Howard Bay, located about five miles north of, the above setting, ii sometimes mistakenly given the name of its south ern neighbor, Wocus Bay. The scene is one of many interesting attrac tions offered on the first of four suggested trips through the county which have become familiar as the Chamber of Commerce Loop Tours. Lake down the Klamalh River, and is now spanned by the steel bridge which carries traffic north to Portland and south to San Francisco along Highway 97. The land along Link River and Lake Ewauna was once part ol a homestead belonging to George Nurse, who in 18H7 became the first permanent settler on land which has since become the site of Klamath Falls. Nurse was later killed in the U.S.-Mndoc In dian War. GLIMPSE CASCADES One mile north ot the Fremont Bridge is the Nevada Avenue Overcrossing, constructed about five years ago as part of Hie Wcstside Bypass, which compris es the bridge and two overpasses. Prepare to turn right immedi ately after crossing the overpass,! but before doing so look quickly to the left for a view of the southern rim of Klamalh Lake and glimpse of the south ern Cascades, playground of va cationists coming to the Holiday Lakes Area. Take the ramp lead ing off of the freeway and fol low the signs directing traffic to Lake of the Woods the subject ol another tour'. Near the foot of Oregon Ave nue is Link River. Link River, the shortest river in the U.S., flows fi'om the southeast corner of Klamalh Lake lo the end of its brief journey, Ijike Ewauna, one mile to the south. NESTING GROUNDS Klamalh Lake and ils northern neighbor. Agency lake (consid ered part of the Klamath Lake system), extend almost 50 miles north to Agency, near Fort Klam ath. Ils nearly circular shoreline measures 140 miles in circum ference and amid the area are waters famed for fishing and ex cellent for water skiing. Parts ol Ihe lake serve as natural nesting maintained by the city of Klam ath Falls featuring a zoo, play ground, tennis courts, Ice skating rink, picnicking area, archery range and other amusement facil ities. EARLY HOMESTEADS About two miles farther west along the wcstside highway is a good view of Buck Island, a HQ- grounds for pelicans one of few acre butle in the southernmost such places in the U.S. and its center of Klamath Lake. The is- northwest portion forms part of 'land was home.steadcd in 1905 by Ihe Klamath Wildlife Relugc. Though shallow for its size (40 feet at its maximum depth) it is the largest lake in the slate and ranks 201 h among other lakes in Ihe continental United Stales. About a half mile past the Fre Imnnt Bridge, and to the left, Is ! Moore Park, a recreation area K P. Hamilton, who wintered his livestock there (or a number ol years after he found ils soil pro duced an abundance of forage The island later passed from the ownership of Hamilton and is now registered lo Charles Swift of Klamalh Falls. Several miles north of Buck ts- land is Bare Island, a 141-acre- heart shaped piece of land be-, longing lo W. Howard and Lillian Swilt of Fairbanks, Alaska. The island contains a hot springs and on several occasions has served as a refuge for people involved in boating accidents on the lake. Two miles west of the last stop on the lakeshore highway is tha first of two early day homesteads which have been incorporated into Ihe Geary Brothers Ranch, a 10,-; 000-acre spread extending frnnx south ot Moore Park to Howard s Bay (known locally as Wociid; Bay), which was acquired in I9H by Ed Geary, a one-time (Continued on Page t) - 4 I J' '". v--' " - -r v--"""-5 ST " "i5 t i . if'1-, . ' fr il ' ' i' f ' ' i ,c . SHORTEST RIVER Link River, believed to be the shorteit river in tha U.S., connects Upper Klamath Lake, tha largest laka in Oreqon, with Lake Ewauna ona mile ts tha south. Waters from Agency and Klamath lakes flow into Link Rivar and then into Laka Ewauna, providing th source ef the Klamath Rivar. I- TV 5 PLACID SCENE FROM OLD RUINS A tranquil teen of Upper Klamath Lake's wa ters il viewed from foundation stones markinq the fira which daitroyad tha Eagla Lodge and Tavern on Eagla Ridge. Guests arrived at tha lodqa by steamboats which operated on the laka at that time. .... tMj0i ODESSA CREEK, BETWEEN BRUSH AND FOREST Wind riffles tha surface of Odes sa Creek, about one mile west of its outlet into Upper Klamath Laka. Near its outlet n angler landed 25-pound rainbow trout, believed to be tha record weight for rain bow caught in the lake. MASSACRE OF 1844 TOLD An inquisitive third-qrader of Peterson School reads a stone monument tellinq of an incident in which Indians killed three members of John C. Fremont's party of exploration in 1646. The Indians attacked the party as it wax sleeping along Denny Creak. Fremont's men attained a memu.e of ravanqa during a later skirmish with tha Indians along tha Williamson River. Tha monument is on tha wast side highway at tha junction to Aspan Lake. )'f M ,.v. 1 -1 a l . s. . j , ..... . .... ." a j if v---r?r" --!.. iJr . K l ' " tl - 1, A . rr . , -i WLlij&. jJ I. .... . i and I Si"' if "i SIS' . I': n INDIANS SWAPPED FURS AT TRADING POST Tha shell of a tradinq post where Indians and white traders exchanged their wares aarly this century standi in a grove of trees at tha head of Odessa Creak. Time and weather have ravaqad tha cabin of hand hewn logs located on tha ranch of A. E. "Mickey" Wampler at Odessa. PASTORAL SETTING Pastoral flatland Interspersed with gently rolling hills views of snowy peaks await tha tourist traverslnq tha highway sklrtinq tha wast sida of Klamath Lake. Tha area is the range of beef cattle while farther wast lias tha Wine ma National Forest and tha Holiday Lakas, noted recreation area and icana of ac claimed trout fishing.
