Mystery Aflist Impressed
Early Day Visitors To Lake
KLAMATH FALLS, ORKflON, SUNDAY. MAY 12. l!Hi3
Upper Klamath Lake
uss
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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)
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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-
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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.
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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.