Captain Dutton soon arrives on the Rim, and Steel and Dutton spend many hours discussing the National Park idea as well as the Lake's mystery in inspiring beauty. The Captain suggests that they circulate a petition asking President Cleveland to set aside 10 townships as a public park.

" While standing on the Rim of the Lake with Prof. Joseph Le Conte, the thought occurred to me that no point around this wonderful cauldron had the hand of man yet desecrated it with peanuts stands or other marks of desolation and something should be done to forever save it for the people of this great country. How to accomplish this was the question, so I turned to the professor for counsel. We disgusted at length and finally decided the only way was to have a National Park created. Ways and means were discussed, and work of preparation commenced then in their. A petition to the President was prepared..." Will Steel, from a speech given Jan. 3, 1917 at the National Parks Conference in Washington D.C.

Steel names Llao Rock, elevation 8046 feet can 1869 feet above the lake, after the Indian deity, Llao, who was supposed to be the special guardian of the Lake. Steel recognizes the "Fire Bird" form of Llao Rock based on the Indian Legends that he had heard being told a campfire at Ft. Klamath the night before.

Will Steel remembers the launching as.: " On Saturday morning I stood on the snow bank with a watch in my hand and every man in his place. At exactly 8 o'clock I gave the word and all jumped to their positions and the serious launching was underway. For eight hours, without stopping to eat or otherwise, 16 men labored with every nerve strained in an earnest to desire to do his best. Then we found ourselves at the foot of the canyon, with the Cleetwood's nose projecting over an embankment 10 foot high, directly over the water, and not a foot of cable to be had. The oars were secured in the boat, a man sat in the stern bracing himself as best he could. With a single stroke the cable was cut, the boat shot forward and down and the man gathered himself up in the bow with blood upon his face and bruised all over, but the happiest man in Oregon, for, had he not driven the mules that drew the Cleetwood 100 miles into the mountains and finished the trip on the water? Was he the only man who never went from Ashland to Crater Lake by boat?"

Steel writes of his feelings of being at Crater Lake:" While at the Lake in 1885, I had a strong desire to go out upon its surface under favorable circumstances, but had no boat. As soon as they were launched in 1886, I began watching for a favorable opportunity and about the time of the full moon, I slipped out of camp one night, pulled out near the center and stopped for observation. There was not a breath of air stirring and reflections were as perfect as it could have been in a plate glass mirror. The walls were clearly outlined above the water and below were inverted, but just as clear. Upon yonder a full moon floated in the air and down below it was just as clear and beautiful. The North Star was clear above and below as were also the Pleasides. The Milky Way seemed clearer below than above. I was an atom in the center and an enormous sphere, looking up to the starry heavens and looking down at its counterpart. The shoreline and its reflection appeared as a great knothole, with creation above, the creation below. Did human eye holds such a sight? Why should I be favored? God in His infinite mercy permitting to look out upon his glorious works as never man did before. Why should I not be grateful?"

Anderson Springs named by Capitan O.C. Applegate for Frank M. Anderson, of the University of California with whom the Captain had circled the Rim crest of the lake on foot, the first to make the trip. (??) They camped late in the afternoon of the first day near Mt. Scott, with Anderson discovering this spring bearing his name.

Sen. Dolph introduces two bills to set aside Crater Lake as a State Park. The bills passed the Senate in 1890.

(Next stop 1890's)