Klamath Falls, Oregon

Just southeast of Medford and Ashland lies the growing community of Klamath Falls. Home to nearby Crater Lake National Park, Klamath Falls, and surrounding Klamath County, boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world!

The Klamath Basin is a depression formed by a huge prehistoric lake in the eastern foothills of the Cascade mountains. It has long been home to many Native American tribes, including the Klamaths, Modocs and the Yahooskins.

Trappers were the first westerners to visit the region, arriving in the 1820s. Explorers came next, searching for a southern route through the Cascade mountains.

Following the end of the Modoc Indian War in 1873, ranchers, farmers, and business-people began arriving to settle the area. Rapid growth of towns and industry followed the advent of the railroad in Klamath County in 1909. As Linkville grew and eventually reached out to encompass its neighbor, Altamont, the residents decided that the name was inadequate to describe the area's beauty and potential, and they renamed the city "Klamath Falls."

Klamath Falls Industry:
Cattle ranching, potatoes, grasses, sugar beets, and algae comprise the major agricultural industries. More recently, economic growth has brought manufacturing, communications, technology, government and tourism industries into the area, further diversifying the economy.

Climate:
January max. average: 38.3
January min. average: 19.6

July max. average: 81.9
July min. average: 48.9



Klamath County, Oregon, the home of Crater Lake National Park, is located just east of the Cascade Mountains and just north of the Oregon/California border. It includes snow capped mountains in the west, and high desert area in the east. For leisure activities, there is everything from hunting and fishing in the scenic mountains, marshes, lakes and rivers, sight-seeing at the many attractions, including the majestic Crater Lake, birdwatching and wildlife viewing at the National Wildlife Refuges, or seeing real western history at its museums.

Upper Klamath Lake, in the Klamath Basin, is the largest lake in Oregon. The 25 mile long, 64 square mile lake is one of the best birdwatching area in the state. The Klamath Basin has six National Wildlife Refuge Areas, three of which are in Oregon. The Basin hosts the largest number of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48 states, which begin arriving in November each year. During the spring and fall bird migrations, you can see thousands of Canadian geese, pintails, mallards, cormorants, gulls, herons, pelicans and other marsh birds and waterfowl. There are self-guided auto and canoe trail tours to take for bird viewing.

At Klamath Falls, the largest town in the area, there are several fine museums. The Favell Museum has an extensive collection of Indian artifacts and western art. They have a display of over 60,000 mounted arrowheads including one fire opal arrowhead, as well as displays of Indian beadwork, basketry, pottery, bone and shellwork, and carvings. The Klamath County Museum has exhibits depicting the history of the Klamath area. Exhibits range from fossils, geology, minerals and wildlife of the area to exploration and the hardships of settlement. The Baldwin Hotel Museum offers a depiction of the Victorian days and general area history back to 1911. The Klamath Tribes Museum, about 22 miles north of Klamath Falls, has exhibits on artifacts, baskets and historical items of the Klamath and Modoc Indian tribes.

Twenty one caves have been opened for spelunkers at the Lava Beds National Monument. These lava tubes include Hopkins Chocolate, named for the rich chocolate glaze covering the ceiling and walls, Skull Ice Cave, named for the ice chamber with a large ice floor and the skulls of bighorn sheep and antelope once found at the entrance, and Big Painted Cave and Symbol Bridge. Big Painted Cave and Symbol Bridge contain some of the best examples of pictographs in the area. Lava Beds National Monument is located approximately forty miles south of Klamath Falls, in northern California.

Klamath Falls is a city located in Klamath County, Oregon. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sits. The name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892-3, and is sometimes called K Falls. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,462. It is the county seat of Klamath County.

Klamath Falls Economy:

Merle West Medical Center is the largest employer in the area, followed by Klamath Falls City School District and Jeld-Wen, a manufacturer of doors and windows.

Klamath Falls History:

The Klamath Indians were the first inhabitants of the area. Their name for this place was Yulalona or Iwauna, which referred to the fact the Link River would flow upstream when the south wind blew hard. Their name for the falls was Tiwishkeni, or "where the falling waters rush".

Klamath Falls was incorporated as a city in 1905.

                 
Crater Lake - 7th Deepest Lake in the World

One of the wonders of the world - Crater Lake, at the northern end of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - All American Road was formed when Mount Mazama literally blew its top and left behind this huge caldera, which eventually filled with water to create the lake. With a depth of 1943', it's the nation's deepest and clearest lake - the intense blue will astound you! Visibility at times can be 140 feet!

On June 12, 1853, prospectors hunting for gold led by John Wesley Hillman found Crater Lake. President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national park on May 22, 1902, the fifth oldest national park.