Crater Lake Backstory - The Coin and the Lake
1northcoin
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Oregon selected its Crater Lake to feature on the 2005 Oregon State Quarter. Here is what the actual lake looks like from the air as I photographed it on a prior flight:
And some interesting facts. First, it really isn't a crater, but rather an ancient caldera, although both do arise from volcanic activity. (A crater's sides rise up, a caldera collapses in from the sides.)
Second, the lake at 1,949 feet is the deepest in the United States and almost ties Canada's Great Slave Lake which gets the honors for deepest in North America. On the world scene it is the 7th deepest.
Third, it is the cleanest and clearest large body of water in the world and is known for its deep blue color.
Fourth, Wizard Island which pops up from the lake looking like a wizard's hat is a cinder cone resulting from a 4,600 BC eruption. The island rises 765 feet above the lake's surface and is 6,933 feet above sea level. Fire Spirits are said to inhabit Wizard Island and yes, there is lore relating to a Crater Lake Monster as well.
Fifth, the approximate width of Crater Lake is between 5 and 6 miles across depending on where you start. There is a rim road around the lake that takes about one and a half hours to drive without stopping.
Sixth, there are no natural fish in Crater Lake but introduced Rainbow Trout and a species of salmon can be caught there. It has no natural water inlets and is the result of rain and melted snow.
OK, I posted photos of the Lake, now someone please help me out by showing us the coin.
Comments
from
https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/2005-p-25c-oregon/14038
That is a beautiful natural wonder. I'd love to put a kayak in and take it all in from water level. Peace Roy
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Wow..
Very cool !
It doesn't look like there's any boating there......
Absolutely beautiful pictures of the lake...I have not been there....almost went once. Life happens... Cheers, RickO
On the world scene it is the 7th deepest.
Crater Lake is often cited as the seventh-deepest lake in the world, but this ranking excludes Lake Vostok in Antarctica, which is beneath about 13,000 feet (4,000 m) of ice, and the recent depth soundings of O'Higgins/San Martín Lake, which is along the border of Chile and Argentina.
more from the web --- The Klamath tribe of Native Americans, whose oral history describes their ancestors witnessing the collapse of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake, regard the lake as an "abode to the Great Spirit". Klamath oral history tells of a battle between the sky god Skell and the god of the underworld Llao (a prominent feature at Crater Lake is Llao Rock). Mount Mazama was destroyed in the battle, creating Crater Lake, called giiwas in the Klamath language. The Klamath people used Crater Lake in vision quests, which often involved climbing the caldera walls and other dangerous tasks. Those who were successful in such quests were often regarded as having more spiritual powers. The tribe still holds Crater Lake in high regard as a spiritual site.
@thebeav No boats allowed. Only access to the lake is via a 1 mile trail that changes elevation 700 feet. No natural fish, but Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon are all that are left of the 6 stocked species which the lake managers encourage to be fished. Info from https://www.nps.gov/crla/faqs.htm
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Too bad kayaks are not allowed.
Great post and beautiful photos!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
@thebeav No boats allowed.
strictly speaking it should probably be worded that "no personal watercraft of any kind" are allowed on the Lake. I think taking the Tour Boat would be worth it.
In the summer, two small research boats and
three tour boats are allowed to operate on Crater
Lake. Environmental precautions are built in to
these boats to try and prevent issues. No other
watercraft are permitted. This includes kayaks,
canoes, rafts, fishing boats and float tubes. (36
CFR §3.3, 3.12(b), 3.14(a), 3.19)
thanks for sharing .
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Yea, I suppose if it's the cleanest lake going, it has to be protected somehow.
I can imagine a boat-load of drunks tossing beer cans from a cigarette boat.....not cool.....
Thanks guys.,....
that's pretty cool
It truly is an amazing lake...bluest water I have ever seen. Great hiking and fishing in the surrounding area too!
K
I drove around it in 1990.
What a great photo.
It looks like the vantage point for the colored scene matches that used for the coin!
Here's the latest NPS report on Crater Lake if anyone else is interested. Unusual limnology with very deep secchi disk readings (>132 feet) and deep phytoplankton populations. The water clarity has actually been improving over the past few decades. Date of water column turnover in Spring comes earlier by several weeks due to warmer temperatures and less snowfall.
https://nps.gov/crla/learn/nature/upload/LTLMP_reort_2018.pdf
Beautiful lake, have driven by and flown over a few times, most recently this June
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Diving in to Crater Lake and witnessing it’s amazing blue underwater is a spiritual experience!
When I lived out West in the early 80's a friend of mine and I were going to hike around the rim. I believe it was a 32 mile hike. Regretfully never did do it.
I was on a Firefighting assignment not far from there. When we finished up our time, ( and before returning to Ohio ) we stopped at the visitors center. Did not get the best view as it was shrouded in smoke, but still a sight that must be seen if one ever gets the chance.
Crater Lake is beautiful. There is also a very old lodge up there you can rent a room with a nice restaurant. We were treated to a thunderstorm over the lake and the lightning reflected off the water.
Additional Crater Lake facts - pre eruption ancient "crater lake" emptied its magma chamber around 7,500 years ago, prior to that it was known as Mount Mazama. Mount Mazama ash is can still be found all over south-western facing hills and mountains in oregon in the central and eastern parts of the state, as there was a north-easterly flow at the time of the eruption.
Some really beautiful lakes out west. Been to Crater and Tahoe, both extremely deep and clear. When I was a kid you could see that "disk" at 110' in Tahoe. I understand that the clarity has dropped now to 63 feet but that does change year to year (down ten feet from last year when it was 74').
bob
Unfortunately this summer many a folk were taking private boats down the trail to the lake, and also letting their dogs in it. With the shutdown nps did not have enough staff to enforce and ne'er do wells took advantage. The lake is a unique ecosystem and the biology in it is sensitive and complex. Concern is that there was significant damage to the lake from this - read it in the Oregonian just after we visited CL and were hiking the High Cascades.
Best, SH
It's on my, & my wife's, bucket list to visit.
Wayne
www.waynedriskillminiatures.com
Thanks for the write-up northcoin. I really enjoyed it and this whole thread it pretty good too! I always thought Lake Tahoe was the deepest lake in North America. Guess I was wrong.
Great read! I learned a lot!
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Thanks for posting this thread, appreciate the geography lesson for the day. What a beautiful place.
Too bad the reverse of the quarter is so lame and simple detailed.
I do like the error variation posted above by ErrorsOnCoins with the unclad reverse. Given the stunning photo posted by keets the reverse actually might be a decent candidate for a U.S. Mint colorized coin now that the Mint has apparently entered into that realm.
Of course that might inspire colorized versions of all the other State Quarters as well?
Thanks all for the additions.