Collections

Photographic aid for firefinder at Watchman fire lookout, 1936.

Crater Lake National Park Museum & Archive Collection

What are Museum and Archive Collections?

The National Park Service Organic Act (1916) states that the role of the National Park Service is "....to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

Thus, preserving history is a vital responsibility of the National Park Service (NPS). It is NPS policy to collect, protect, preserve, provide access to, and appropriately use objects, specimens, and archival and manuscript collections to aid understanding and advance knowledge. Collections play an important role in resource management, research, and education programs, and function as baseline databases for park natural and cultural resources. Each park’s collection is a repository of donated, discovered, and assembled items, such as artifacts, archives, and natural history specimens that support and tell the stories of a specific place through time.

Pressed speciman of purple fritillary

Crater Lake National Park Museum & Archive Collection

Crater Lake National Park’s
Museum and Archive Collections

Crater Lake National Park’s museum and archive collections include over 790,000 items, with approximately 500 linear feet of archival materials, that document the cultural and natural history of the park. The park’s collections include artifacts, specimens, and objects, from the disciplines of biology, geology, archeology, history, art, and archives. The Scope of Collections is narrowly focused on CRLA-specific materials. Some examples of collections items are:

• Historical botanical specimens collected in the 1930s by Elmer Applegate, as well as specimens from recent research
• Historical biological specimens including salamanders, birds, mammals, and insects
• Artistic representations of the lake and environs such as paintings and photographs
• Samples representing structural components and furniture removed from the Crater Lake Lodge prior to its renovation in the 1990s
• Archives such as reports, research papers, plans, and photographs that document NPS management of the park, from William Steel’s efforts to establishment to current-day events and decision-making.

Park Superintendent's report for 1911.

Crater Lake National Park Museum & Archive Collection

Access and Use of Collections for Research

The collections are housed in the park headquarters area at 6450 ft elevation. Although headquarters is open year-round, extreme weather events during the winter months (October through April) may require temporary closures. Research in the collections is by appointment only. Arrangements must be made as far in advance as possible; drop-ins are not permitted. Submit a completed Research Request form to e-mail us or via US Postal Service to:
CRLA Museum and Archive Collections
P.O. Box 7
Crater Lake OR 97604-0007

Collections Research Suggestions

Due to limited staff availability at the park, researchers are encouraged to explore other locations whose holdings may contain Crater Lake National Park materials. Click on the link for a list of resources and their websites.