"Fall 1987.";
INTRODUCTION The taped interviews from which this transcript was prepared were carried out as a part of the continuing program, on the part of the National Park Service, of collecting historical information about Crater Lake National Park. This particular project was initiated by Dr. Stephanie Toothman, Regional Historian for the National Park Service's Pacific Northwest Region. The interviews took place at the informant's home in Central Point, Oregon on August 23, 1986 and June 18, 1987. Mabel Hedgpeth worked and lived at Crater Lake with her husband Clarence Hedgpeth, from 1930 to 1943. During those years she was a part of the small community of people who made the park their home year around. She witnessed some of the major building projects such as the Sinnott Memorial and the headquarters building, cooked for hungry fire fighters, served as postmaster, personally knew William Gladstone Steel, saw the changing camping styles of the visitors, and came to hold a profound appreciation for Crater Lake. "I fell in love—twice," she noted. "My first love was Clarence G. Hedgpeth . . . Crater Lake National Park was my second love." Mrs. Hedgpeth also loved the outdoors. She regularly fished in the lake, hiked the trails, viewed the wildlife and skied—she was the first woman to ski around the rim of Crater Lake. She noted that, "I've always been an outside gal, I liked anything outside." Throughout the 13 years, in all seasons, she explored and enjoyed the park's unique resources. Her residence in the park spanned the C.C.C. era, thus she came to know many of the enrollees in the two C.C.C. camps at Crater Lake—Annie Springs and Wineglass. She recalled with special fondness, the young men who worked on the many conservation projects which took place during this period: "Real neat bunch of kids. We had a lot of fun with them." She also favorably remembered the park personnel, including the four superintendents who served between 1930 and 1943; Earnest Leavitt was held in special regard. Like other residents of Crater Lake she recalled with vividness some of the more dramatic occurrences such as chief ranger Godfrey's death, falls into the lake, disappearances, and other related human misfortunes. Mabel Hedgpeth's fundamental disposition, however, tends toward the upbeat and optimistic—a trait which was evident throughout the interviews. "Didn't you get lonely in the winter with all of that snow?" "No ... I did a lot of knitting and sewing; that's all we had for recreation. It was great; I played in the snow, my husband worked in it." Her concluding thought well exemplified her outlook on life: This ends the chapter of our lives at Crater Lake, 13 wonderful years . . .all good things must end so even better things may begin. We had two precious daughters and we all four accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. What more could anyone possibly want? -2-
INTRODUCTION The taped interviews from which this transcript was prepared were carried out as a part of the continuing program, on the part of the National Park Service, of collecting historical information about Crater Lake National Park. This particular project was initiated by Dr. Stephanie Toothman, Regional Historian for the National Park Service's Pacific Northwest Region. The interviews took place at the informant's home in Central Point, Oregon on August 23, 1986 and June 18, 1987. Mabel Hedgpeth worked and lived at Crater Lake with her husband Clarence Hedgpeth, from 1930 to 1943. During those years she was a part of the small community of people who made the park their home year around. She witnessed some of the major building projects such as the Sinnott Memorial and the headquarters building, cooked for hungry fire fighters, served as postmaster, personally knew William Gladstone Steel, saw the changing camping styles of the visitors, and came to hold a profound appreciation for Crater Lake. "I fell in love—twice," she noted. "My first love was Clarence G. Hedgpeth . . . Crater Lake National Park was my second love." Mrs. Hedgpeth also loved the outdoors. She regularly fished in the lake, hiked the trails, viewed the wildlife and skied—she was the first woman to ski around the rim of Crater Lake. She noted that, "I've always been an outside gal, I liked anything outside." Throughout the 13 years, in all seasons, she explored and enjoyed the park's unique resources. Her residence in the park spanned the C.C.C. era, thus she came to know many of the enrollees in the two C.C.C. camps at Crater Lake—Annie Springs and Wineglass. She recalled with special fondness, the young men who worked on the many conservation projects which took place during this period: "Real neat bunch of kids. We had a lot of fun with them." She also favorably remembered the park personnel, including the four superintendents who served between 1930 and 1943; Earnest Leavitt was held in special regard. Like other residents of Crater Lake she recalled with vividness some of the more dramatic occurrences such as chief ranger Godfrey's death, falls into the lake, disappearances, and other related human misfortunes. Mabel Hedgpeth's fundamental disposition, however, tends toward the upbeat and optimistic—a trait which was evident throughout the interviews. "Didn't you get lonely in the winter with all of that snow?" "No ... I did a lot of knitting and sewing; that's all we had for recreation. It was great; I played in the snow, my husband worked in it." Her concluding thought well exemplified her outlook on life: This ends the chapter of our lives at Crater Lake, 13 wonderful years . . .all good things must end so even better things may begin. We had two precious daughters and we all four accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. What more could anyone possibly want? -2-