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Crater Lake, the deepest in the United States, lies in a caldera formed when Mount Mazama
collapsed after a massive eruption over 7,000 years ago. Over time, rain and snowmelt filled
the massive crater left behind after the eruption. The result is now the second deepest lake in
North America and the ninth deepest in the world, at 1,949 feet. Because of cold temperatures
and lack of sedimentation, waters inside Crater Lake are spectacularly blue.
Klamath Indians lived in southern Oregon and northern California for thousands of years
before Crater Lake National Park was established. According to legends, geologists, and
historians, it is highly likely that the Klamath witnessed the eruption and collapse of Mount
Mazama over 7,000 years ago. The first Europeans to see the region were explorers
searching for a lost mine in 1853. In the 1870s, William Gladstone Steel surveyed much of the
lake and surrounding region in order to gain national attention and have the region protected
by the federal government. By 1918, Rim Drive was completed. Today, the lake is the
centerpiece of Crater Lake National Park, formed in 1902 as the country's fifth such park.
collapsed after a massive eruption over 7,000 years ago. Over time, rain and snowmelt filled
the massive crater left behind after the eruption. The result is now the second deepest lake in
North America and the ninth deepest in the world, at 1,949 feet. Because of cold temperatures
and lack of sedimentation, waters inside Crater Lake are spectacularly blue.
Klamath Indians lived in southern Oregon and northern California for thousands of years
before Crater Lake National Park was established. According to legends, geologists, and
historians, it is highly likely that the Klamath witnessed the eruption and collapse of Mount
Mazama over 7,000 years ago. The first Europeans to see the region were explorers
searching for a lost mine in 1853. In the 1870s, William Gladstone Steel surveyed much of the
lake and surrounding region in order to gain national attention and have the region protected
by the federal government. By 1918, Rim Drive was completed. Today, the lake is the
centerpiece of Crater Lake National Park, formed in 1902 as the country's fifth such park.
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