Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/17

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The Lakes of Oregon
7

mately four miles long. It is fed principally by the Wallowa river which is formed by the junction of the east and west forks about a mile south of the lake. The elevation of the lake is approximately 4340 feet and the name is derived from a Nez Perce word meaning a fish trap built in a peculiar manner by the use of three poles sunk in the water. The name was first applied to a point on the Wallowa River where a number of these traps were located and has since become attached to the lake itself and other important geographic features in northeastern Oregon. A view from the north end of the lake includes the serrated peaks and spires of the Wallowa Mountains, many of which bear snow throughout the entire year.. This view of Wallowa Lake is certainly one of the most beautiful in the state.

Nature narrowly missed giving Oregon two crater lakes almost equal in size and beauty, but like many other second attempts to improve upon a masterpiece, this one failed. Twenty-five miles south of Bend lies Newberry crater, a result of vulcanism much more recent than the caldra that is occupied by Crater Lake. Newberry crater is situated in the summit of the isolated Paulina Mountains and in this crater are two lakes, Paulina Lake and East Lake, at an elevation of about 6500 feet or several hundred feet higher than Crater Lake. It is apparent that the caldra was at one time occupied by one lake, but subsequent volcanic action has built up a series of small craters running north and south across the middle which divides the depression and leaves East Lake with neither inlet nor outlet. Paulina Lakes overflows to the west down Paulina Creek to the east fork of the Deschutes River. Paulina Creek is blessed with several pretty waterfalls. Newberry crater broke down its western side and if it had not been for this break it is apparent that the water level would be much higher in the crater, and the surroundings would have more nearly resembled Crater Lake itself. At some points around the two lakes the walls are precipitous and high, and Paulina Peak, which is