Crater Lake Lodge, Inc. appraisement and financial reports, 1959-1969

Crater Lake National Park Company was incorporated in 1921. Headed by Portland, Oregon, businessmen Eric V. Hauser and Richard W. Price, the company managed the lodge at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. In 1954, Harry W. "Pop" Smith and his son Harry C. Smith purchased the company. In 1959, the Smiths sold it to Ralph O. Peyton and James M. Griffen. In 1961, the company changed its name to Crater Lake Lodge, Inc., and under that name, the company contracted with the National Park Service to provide concession services at Crater Lake National Park. In 1967, the National Park Service purchased Crater Lake Lodge from the firm, though Peyton continued to act as the lodge's manager; Griffen retired that year. In 1968, the firm announced plans to construct new buildings. However, most of these planned buildings never materialized due to the contentious and at times antagonistic relationship between the firm and the National Park Service.

In 1975, sewage-contaminated water caused gastrointestinal illness among Crater Lake National Park employees and guests. Members of the Park Service placed blame on Peyton, alleging that he had ignored early warning signs of illness among employees and had tried to hide the issue from the public. A 1978 lawsuit found Peyton and the firm guilty of "wanton misconduct" for failure to warn guests about illness among company employees.

In 1976, Peyton sold Crater Lake Lodge, Inc. to the Canteen Company of Oregon. Following Peyton's tenure, Crater Lake Lodge, Inc. operated as Crater Lake National Park's concessionaire until 2001. In 2002, the National Park Service awarded the concessionaire contract to Amfac Parks & Resorts.

Sources: "Crater Lake National Park: A History," by Rick Harmon (Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 2002); articles in the Oregonian, 1921-2002.