Crater Lake Lodge Is Rededicated Fans Applaud Park Service’s Renovation Of Historic Lodge On Crater’s Rim

About 300 lovers of Crater Lake Lodge, some arriving in vintage automobiles, gathered at the 80-year-old structure Friday to celebrate its rededication after a $15 million renovation.

The lodge reopened this spring following the 5-year project.

Roger Kennedy, director of the National Park Service, said during the ceremonies that his agency once considered razing the building.

“It’s a wonderful thing when our government - us - saves something for the future,” he said.

Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Ore., while applauding the work done by those who labored to preserve the lodge, warned the National Park Service is facing a financial crunch nationwide. He suggested that a fee system or user tax be created to help pay for upgrading the park system.

Rep. Wes Cooley, R-Ore., and Eric Eisemann, past president of the Historic Preservation League of Oregon, also congratulated those who helped preserve the building.

Eisemann, who helped lead the fight for preservation, said the lodge has more than educational and scientific value. “The real reason is personal - you can feel it when you are here,” he said.

The visitors included Betty Duffield, 76, and Amy Barnum, 77, who stayed at the lodge in the 1920s.

They once rode in automobiles similar to the collectors’ models parked nearby: a Model A Ford and a Dodge Victory 6 roadster, both circa 1928.

“So many of them used to have engine vapor locks on their way up to the rim,” said Duffield, who lived in the lodge while working at the park 61 years ago. “Our rangers got quite proficient on how to solve that problem.”

When Barnum was a child in the early 1920s, she spent the night in the new lodge with her family.

“I was small enough to appreciate the fact we had a beautiful electric storm over the lake,” she recalled. “It was so gorgeous to see the cauldron and the lake light up.”