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.
The collection consists of an appraisement and annual financial reports of Crater Lake Lodge, Inc. The financial reports cover the firm's income and expenses for each year from 1959 to 1969. The appraisal, dated July 1961, and the financial reports for 1959 and 1960 use the firm's earlier name of Crater Lake National Park Company.
Collection is open for research.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Crater Lake Lodge, Inc. appraisement and financial reports, Coll 926, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Gift of Benjamin Whiteley, January 1995 (Lib. Acc. 22111).